It Runs Deep
by The Disgruntled Panda
Summary: [Discontinued] AU Betrayal, lies, mistrust, deceit. When FOXHOUND agent Squall Leonhart [aka. Acid Snake] is thrown into a crisis, he can't even begin to imagine just how far down the problem stems. [FF8 x Metal Gear Solid crossover]
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII, the Metal Gear Solid franchise or any of its characters or locations. Final Fantasy VIII is property of Square-Enix. The Metal Gear Solid series is property of Konami.

**Foreward: My second story. I've always wanted to do this, crossing Final Fantasy VIII characters with some of those from the Metal Gear Solid games. The locations are those from Final Fantasy VIII but this story is AU, so many things from the game will not agree. For you hardcore action/adventure junkies: this story is for you. Hopefully, it will get some interest. Just a warning: This story, like my other, is graphic and violent so read at your own risk. Don't say you haven't been warned! **

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**"IT RUNS DEEP"**

**PROLOGUE**

The cell was dank and cold, just like every other day. What time was it? He couldn't tell. No light from outside entered as this particular area of the prison contained no windows for any of the inmates. Cracks littered the cell, covering the entirety of it. The place was in poor shape but the thick and dull, grey concrete walls, along with the rusted iron bars, did their job of keeping the prisoners contained.

The room was eight by twelve feet long, with a bunk bed in one corner, a filthy looking toilet in another, and a sink that barely functioned positioned to the side of it.

In the bottom bunk sat a shirtless man, his feet over the edge of the bed, his head down and his hands clasped together. He was in another of his contemplative moods. Wearing nothing but old faded jeans that were torn up the further down you went and some socks that were in just as rough shape, he remained still as he stared at the concrete beneath his feet.

Long hazel hair covered the top portion of his head and in this moment of darkness, his faint blue-grayish eyes could not be detected so easily. The man was well defined and muscular. At exactly six feet in height, he weighed within the range of 200 pounds.

* * *

Upon first entering the penitentiary three years ago, he had been the subject of attention from the inmates. He recalled the first time he had been approached by a group of them. He was on laundry duty at the time, alone when five large Caucasian males had entered the room as well. 

"_Well, well, well, what do we have here? It's the pretty boy fellas! A large, stocky man stated._

"_Yeah, quite a nice face wouldn't you say so Ray?_

_The third man, no doubt named Ray, smiled perversely. "Yeah, very nice face. Pretty boys are my type of guys. I like this one."_

_He remained quiet as they continued to look at him hungrily, circling around him and boxing him in._

"_What do you say pretty boy? The first man spoke up again. "You wanna have a little fun? We won't be too rough."_

"_Tell you what," said Ray, who appeared to be the group leader, "If you're nice and you cooperate, we won't have to rough up your pretty face. How does that sound?"_

_Three of them approached him and Ray began to unzip his jeans._

That was when he had taken action.

"_I got an idea." He spoke calmly, and emotionlessly. _

"_Oh?" Ray raised an eyebrow as he exchanged amused glances with his comrades. "And what would that be?" He asked, turning back to the man._

"_How about I smash your skull to pieces with my fist? Literally." His tone remained calm, unwavering, devoid of emotion. His face was expressionless as strands of hazel hair partially covered it._

_A grin broke out over Ray's face, followed by the eruption of laughter from everyone except him. _

_In a few short seconds. Ray's face turned to one of seriousness, his eyes dark and his voice low as he spoke dangerously. "Listen up pretty boy. You're in no position to make threats with me or any of us. Now you're gonna play by our rules, and you're gonna like it or we'll cut you up real nice ya hear?"_

He had not been amused in the least bit and control of his temper was on the brink of collapse.

"_Go fuck yourself." He spoke with a hint of irritation in his still calm voice. "You don't wanna dance with me you fucking homos."_

"_We'll see about that." Ray spoke up, beckoning to the three younger men with him to approach the man. "You three, show pretty boy how it feels not to be able to talk." He proceeded to unzip his pants, as did the larger, stocky man to his side._

"_Adam," the tallest of the three men said, "Get him from the left."_

_Adam, a young white male, with a shaven head and a small goatee, approached and attempted to grab him from the left. Quickly evading the attacker to his right, he grabbed Adam's arm with his right hand. He pulled upwards with it and delivered a quick chop with his left to the under pit, producing a sickening crack. A scream ensued as Adam fell to the floor, clutching his broken and disfigured right hand. The upper left bone, connecting from his elbow to his shoulder, was sticking several inches out at the shoulder blade. He rolled around on the floor in hysterics, screaming his head off._

_Ray and his companion stared at Adam in shock, their eyes wide open. The other two men had also paused momentarily, giving him enough time to deliver an incredibly fast uppercut to the man at his right, immediately shattering it. This man, like Adam, began shouting and screaming horrifically, as blood poured out of his mouth in a thick stream, dribbling down his chin and neck profusely. He clutched at his mouth and continued to scream, trembling violently. _

_The last of the three immediately backed away after this._

_Ray looked at the man and shouted in anger, zipping his pants back up. "What the fuck are you doing Josh? Take him already."_

_Josh had a look of fear plastered across his face. He was several feet away from him and was unwilling to approach any further. _

"_Josh!" Ray screamed again. "If you don't move, you're gonna be in his place later on!"_

_Josh, fearing for his own life at the hands of the gang, approached him with his guard up. He waited until Josh was close. Josh swung a fist at him, which was caught. Using the momentum of the punch, he pulled Josh's fist behind his head and with his elbow, executed a blow to the right side of Josh's ribs. A third crack was heard as Josh's eyes came wide open. He fell to the floor, clutching at his side. Unlike the other two men however, who continued to moan and scream, he was quiet as he continued holding his side, staring straight at the ceiling with wide eyes._

_With now just Ray and his fat companion left, his attention turned to them. Ray stole a quick glance at the door, contemplating an exit before he fixed his gaze on his target once more. He frowned and nodded to his friend. "We can take him Rick." He assured the fatter man._

_Rick nodded, although seeming unsure now, as he approached. Ray pulled out a small pocket knife. "I'm gonna carve you up real nice you little bitch. That's what you are: a bitch. And you're gonna be my bitch forever now." He stopped just a few feet short of him, the knife raised in his right hand, in attack mode. "You're gonna be my bitch and you're gonna like it. Bitch." He smirked and along with his friend, charged._

_Ray's nose was immediately broken by an explosive punch to the face. Right as he fell back down, the knife was stripped away from him. Rick tried to grab the smaller but muscular man but failed as he dodged to the side, now with knife in hand._

_With Ray down, clutching his nose, Rick was pit alone against the talented fighter. He no longer appeared as if he wanted to be a part of this. "Look kid, this wasn't my idea in the first place. How about we just forget this ever happened?" The voice was pleading._

"_Forget it fat man. You were the first that spoke up." He lunged at Rick with blinding speed, his motions a blur._

_Rick put up his hands in self defense but it did nothing to help as he was cut up in several places around the midsection. Rick began to scream, although his screams soon joined the other men on the floor._

But he hadn't been finished however. His anger had fully erupted and he had wanted to inflict more pain on these men.

_Carving a deeper wound in the gut of Rick, he jammed his right fist, along with the knife, into the fat man's stomach._

_Rick's eyes went wide with shock as his screaming ceased. He gasped for breath._

"_How do like this now huh? You stupid fat fuck?" He snarled. His fist came out, ripping out the intestines of the fat man in the process._

_Rick began to choke and cough out blood as he dropped to the floor heavily._

But it had to go even further.

_He approached Rick, who was still clutching his nose on the floor. He moved right on top of him and kneeled down, grabbing Rick's testicles and penis with his fist._

_Rick's closed eyes shot open as he stared at him. "What the fuck are you doing!" It was all he managed to say before he screamed as his genitals were ripped out with force. He screamed and screamed some more but it wasn't over just yet._

_Staring down at Rick, who screamed in agony at having his reproductive system torn right out, he began to punch him repeatedly in the face. He punched once, then twice, and the third punch brought such force that it shattered Rick's skull as his head caved in and white liquid oozed out of his crushed eyes._

He had continued to punch him, even as Rick's life swept out of his body. He had continued to punch him, even as the guards, who had finally responded to the screams, rushed to the scene. He had continued to punch him, even as the guards jumped on him and pried him away from the brutally disfigured man.

He had let them beat him as he'd grown tired of fighting. He had let them assault him repeatedly and drag him away to solitary confinement.

News had spread quickly throughout in the following days about what had happened. Two high members of a gang: Ray and Rick had been brutally murdered by this newcomer. Discussions took place about what would happen to him following his release from solitary.

He was released within a week and was put into a new cell, under far more strict conditions. A hearing would take place about how he would be punished for his crimes.

But before his hearing, angry members of the gang whom Ray belonged to made an attempt to kill him. This had failed completely, leaving five of the seven men involved with serious critical injuries.

Another beating ensued from the guards, followed by another stay in solitary, with a new hearing date scheduled. Similarly, a second attempt at his life from certain prison inmates was made. And once again, it resulted in severe injuries to all, with one man being put in a comatose state.

He had been beaten to an inch of his life by the guards as a result and put into solitary for one whole year, isolated from the rest, completely out of contact with anyone. A hearing had taken place and his sentence, which initially involved a ten year sentence with option for parole was turned into life, with no option for parole whatsoever. He would remain in this hellhole for the entirety of his life and he would die here.

The one year of solitary ended and he was sentenced to the eastern sector of the penitentiary, along with the most ruthless of killers, who had practically no privileges. This was the harshest environment in the prison. Two prisoners occupied each cell, where they remained their for the most part throughout.

The attempts at his life had, not surprisingly, stopped however. As others simply feared getting involved with him anymore. And now that he was out of their way, he was just as good as dead seeing as how they would never come across him from their section of the prison. So that matter had been resolved.

* * *

"Leon? You awake? Ye're not thinkin' again are ya?" It was Mickey, his cellmate. The sound of his voice brought Squall out of his reverie. Leon was the alias he went by and name he used in the prison. 

Mickey was a moderately built, middle aged black man with rotten yellow teeth and a grey beard.

Initially, Mickey had been anticipating a new cellmate he could possibly take advantage of as he'd been lonely for some time now. That anticipation immediately turned into shock upon discovering who his new cellmate was. Everyone knew about Squall now, following his brutal actions. For the first few months, Mickey kept his distance; always remaining huddled to himself in the top bunk. As some time passed however, the loneliness got to Mickey and so he attempted to get acquainted with his cellmate, who had remained entirely quiet the entire time.

Mickey's attempts to converse with Squall didn't go well for the first few months but eventually, Squall found himself listening to Mickey's stories as it helped pass time. Finally, the one sided relationship took a very small turn as Squall, from time to time, briefly talked back to Mickey.

"Leon?" Mickey spoke again from up top. He peered over the bed and caught Squall's head down. "What you doin?"

Although Squall had grown more tolerable of Mickey in the twenty two months he'd spent in this cell with him, nevertheless, he still despised the man but would not openly admit it.

"Leon?" Mickey asked a third time.

"Mickey. Shut the hell up."

"Fine." Mickey grumbled and lay back down on his mattress. "Such a grouch."

Squall rolled his eyes. He heard footsteps in the corridor. They were slowly approaching this way and were getting closer by the instant. He squinted and peered through the bars from where he sat. It was dark and hard to make out anything most of the time. The footsteps were closer. Squall listened harder. No, they were several footsteps, indicating more than one person which was rare. Usually it was just one patrol guard who came and went.

The footsteps stopped at the front of the cell. Squall narrowed his eyes and squinted once more. From up top, Mickey rolled over and peered at the front as well. Just outside, stood three shadows.

The door to the cell could be heard clicking open as one of the guards no doubt occupied a shadow. It let out a creak and a groan as the three individuals slowly made their way in. At that instant, small light bulb on the cell roof flickered on, filling the room with dim lit. Squall shielded his eyes for a moment, having to let his eyes adjust even to this small amount of light.

When he removed his hand from his face, he peered over at the three individuals who stood in the cell. Two were guards but the third man caught Squall by total surprise.

"Nida?" He spoke up, surprise evident in his voice. "What are you doing here?"

Nida, with his head, motioned to Mickey. The two guards nodded and approached the black man. He cowered back in his bed, trying to dig himself into the wall.

"No. What is this?" He wailed. "Let me go! I didn't do nothin'!"

The two tall guards easily grabbed Mickey off the bad and yanked him down by his hands and feet. They carried him out the cell and closed it shut, leaving Squall and Nida all alone.

The sounds of their feet were far away before Nida spoke again. "Hello Acid. It's been awhile hasn't it?"

Squall gazed at Nida with uncertainty, studying him. He wore simply military attire. Navy blue trousers and a navy blue jacket with several medals stitched on the side. His short hair was combed over and flat. His posture was rigid just as Squall remembered it years back and his hands were clasped together.

"What do you want Nida?" He had no idea why the man standing in front of him was here and didn't know what to expect.

"Now, now. We haven't seen each other in so long and this is how you treat me when you see me?" Nida's face contained a hint of amusement.

"What… Do you want Nida?" Squall repeated slowly.

Nida paused for a moment and let out a breath before continuing, "We've got a proposition for you Acid."

Squall raised an eyebrow and frowned immediately. "Who's 'we'?"

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Author's notes: I hope it was good. The first real chapter will be up soon. Review and let me know what you think.**


	2. Origins: Acid Snake

**ORIGINS: ACID SNAKE**

Nida paced the room and stopped at the wall opposite Squall. He leaned up against the cold concrete and folded his arms across his chest.

Squall watched him intently, his eyes never leaving the other man's. He patiently awaited Nida's response.

Nida pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He took a drag and exhaled the fumes. In the dim light, the smoke exiting his nostrils and mouth made hypnotic swirls in the air. He took another drag before looking up at Squall.

"You know who 'we' is."

Indeed, Squall did know, but didn't want to believe it. Nida was a top government official for Esthar. He was a respected agent who held great power and served as an ambassador to other nations. He had connections throughout and could do much with them. On the outside, Nida was presented in a nice package to the public. He was a charismatic and charming individual, heavily immersed in politics. He was respected by many for his confidence and his dynamic flare.

Behind closed doors however, it was a different story. Nida had been a former member of Esthar's anti-terrorist, special operations group: SARC, which stood for Special Anti Resistance Combine. SARC had initially been formed to train elite soldiers in secret, and would deploy them in times of crisis. Nida had been involved in many black operations and had killed countless individuals in the process. Over time, SARC's true motives became unclear as members began abusing their power and directed missions towards other international military factions. It became apparent that SARC gained a lust for power and fed off killing others who were trained to fight. It was disbanded ten years earlier and Nida had been one of the select few to walk away without dying or being arrested. He turned to politics and focused on military strategy instead, leaving his combat days behind. Now at thirty fours years of age, Nida still looked in his prime.

"What could you possibly do for me?" Squall asked, eyeing Nida suspiciously for a moment. He put his face in his hands and let out a long breath.

"More than you could imagine." Nida stood away from the wall and walked closer. "How would you like to get out of this place?"

Squall immediately looked up and studied Nida hard. He couldn't detect any hints of treachery or sense a reason for Nida lying to him. He'd known Nida for some time and although they weren't close, they were in good terms with one another. He didn't know for sure though, if he truly wanted to leave anymore. Despite the fact that this place was a rotting hellhole, he had grown accustomed to it. His secluded nature made him comfortable in a place that isolated one from the rest.

"What makes you think I want to leave?" He replied in a husky voice.

Nida simply shook his head as he gazed at the floor before meeting Squall's eyes once more. "Don't be ridiculous. Of course you want to leave. We can get you out of here easy."

"That's impossible." Squall stated. "I'm stuck here for life. You've probably heard about what happened. I'm not leaving this hole ever."

Nida grinned. "Yes, we heard. The normally calm and collected Acid Snake losing his temper to some lowly prison inmates. You really gave it to them."

Squall shot Nida a menacing glare.

"Anyways," Nida continued, waving away Squall's glare with his hand, "You may have fucked up real bad in here but that doesn't mean we can't get you out like that. One word from us and this place will have no choice but to release you."

"Who said I even want to leave Nida?" Squall repeated and gazed at the man ahead of him.

Nida shook his head. "I told you Acid, don't be a fool. There's nothing for you here. You're just kidding yourself. Anywhere is better than this dump. Look at this fucking place."

The younger man couldn't disagree to that. "But why though?" Squall questioned. "Why would you be doing this? What's in it for you? What do you want Nida?"

Nida lit up another cigarette and took a drag, exhaling the fumes slowly. He extended his pack to Squall, who declined. Nida shrugged and put the pack into his pocket once more. "Like I said," he released another wave of smoke, "We've got a proposition for you."

"So then let's hear it already?" Squall practically snarled. He was growing impatient and didn't know if he was going to like what he was about to hear.

Nida was silent for a moment and paced towards the bars at the front of the cell. He peered out with his back partially turned to Squall before turning back around. "We need you to carry out a mission for us."

Squall knew it. He had anticipated it the moment Nida had walked in. "No." His voice had finality in it. "No." He shook his head, looking at the floor. "I'm not doing any of that anymore. I told you, I'm done. I'm finished. I'm not with FOXHOUND anymore."

FOXHOUND. Esthar's other elite, black operations division. Highly classified and only known to a select few, it truly consisted of the best of the best. In fact, the unit of FOXHOUND was such a specialized anti-terrorist group that it contained no more than several people, a select few field agents, and a few staff at headquarters. Its base of operations was classified to all, even to the government it was funded by. This was done for safety reasons. All members of FOXHOUND were well rounded in all areas and were given code names.

* * *

FOXHOUND had been started up forty years ago by a man known only as 'Big Boss'. He had disappeared without reason somewhere down the road andthe organizationhad been reshuffled, with new management coming in. For years, it operated in secrecy, disposing the world of terrorist threats before they even leaked out to the public. 

One agent in particular, stood out above the rest. A man that twice, saved the world from the threat of a nuclear equipped walking battle tank dubbed 'Metal Gear'. That man, known as Solid Snake, went on to retire after the second defeat of Metal Gear. He soon became the operations commander of FOXHOUND himself.

At the age of seventeen, Squall had entered FOXHOUND as the youngest to ever do so. Having formerly been a member of the international military organization known as SeeD, it quickly became apparent that it was no place for Squall as he demonstrated incredible skills for a soldier, unseen in many. He was a prodigy, excelling in all arts: melee combat, ranged combat, hand to hand, stealth movement, tactical espionage, negotiation and infiltration.

Squall lived to fight.

Having had a reputation for being a loner while a SeeD, it was not difficult for Squall to completely fade out of the public's eye. His file was erased upon transfer to FOXHOUND and all signs of a Squall Leonhart ever existing merely became myth.

Solid Snake was like the father Squall never had. Having never known his parents, this was an easy thing for Squall to accept. He looked up to the man and idolized him as he trained under him. His already incredible skills were honed even further as he transformed into superior soldier.

Snake never addressed Squall by his first name, not even once. In fact, upon entering FOXHOUND, Squall was immediately given the code handle 'Wolf', accurately matching his attitude and preference for being alone.

Within no time, Squall began making a reputation for himself and impressing his superior. He successfully completed every single mission handed to him and they steadily increased with difficulty as confidence in him increased. Within three years, at the mere age of twenty, Squall had achieved the honorable rank of 'Snake', the second highest to be awarded in FOXHOUND, preceded only by the rank of 'Fox'.

To avoid confusion, his full handle was titled 'Acid Snake', referring to his ability of burning and stinging his defeated opponents, metaphorically of course.

For four more years, Squall reached legendary status as Acid Snake, alleviating the world of terrorist threats. Although he and his organization were strictly black operation, sealed away in knowledge from the rest of the world, nevertheless, stories leaked out about his accomplishments as others spoke about the legendary Acid. He was widely discussed, although in secrecy, by other military factions.

Somewhere down the line however, the man that was Squall Leonhart became victim to the legend that was Acid Snake. Forever in his shadow, Squall could never strive to break free from the ideal image he'd shaped himself up to be.

His real name had taken a backseat to the code handle 'Acid' and over time, he began to believe that it had always been his true name, exemplifying the soldier he was and not the person he once used to be. He questioned if there ever was a 'Squall' to begin with.

Then it all came crashing down when Squall was twenty four. He had turned his back on FOXHOUND, having grown bitter to the world, leaving a void in the organization that shortly led to its downfall. Snake, confused and angered by Squall's actions, told him to reconsider, for the sake of himself and FOXHOUND itself. Squall refused and isolated himself from the world, becoming an alcoholic in the process. He fell into a deep state of depression.

A trip home from the liquor store one night resulted in him being threatened by a trio of men for his money. Squall, in his unstable state, retaliated by beating all three men to death, even as the police approached and pulled him away. Witnesses had been present and his initial sentence: life, was reduced to ten years with the help of powerful and influential people high up in the Esthar Government.

Then of course, he had gone and ruined it all by killing more individuals inside the prison, ultimately leading him to his position today.

* * *

"We need you Acid." Nida spoke in calm fashion. "We have a crisis and we need you one last time." 

Squall snorted. "Bullshit. It's never one last time. There's always another crisis, and another."

"No." Nida retorted, his own face twisted into a frown now. "This is the last thing we'll ever ask from you. After that, you're free to go."

Squall looked up at him questioningly with a frown. "You're saying you'll drop my sentence just like that?"

"Just like that." Nida confirmed.

Squall studied Nida once more. Had it been anyone else, Squall would never have believed it was even possible to reduce his sentence, let alone dismiss it altogether. But this was Nida, once a former colleague of his as a military strategist for FOXHOUND. On many missions, Nida would relay Squall with vital intelligence that would prove necessary to the success of his missions.

Two years before Squall's bitter departure from FOXHOUND, Nida obtained a high seat in the Esthar government, although he still maintained ties to FOXHOUND. This allowed FOXHOUND to have a powerful face in the house, a voice that would help influence others when it came to carrying out difficult decisions. It was at a great advantage of course but Nida spent less time with the anti terrorist organization and focused more on politics.

And now, here he was again. The older man seemed somewhat fatigued but still contained that air of pride around himself as he stood in his jacket with his medals.

"Who's ordering the release and under whose authority is this being carried out?" Squall questioned.

Nida shook his head. "Confidential. At least for the moment." Squall frowned once more but Nida continued. "We need to know whether you agree to our terms or not first before we can proceed with anything."

"Let's say I agree. Who's deploying me? FOXHOUND is dead, so is this strictly a direct government op?"

At this, Nida smiled wide, exposing his gold capped teeth. "Why, the same organization you've worked for all this time will be deploying you. Who else did you think it would be?" He cocked his head to the side as he stared at Squall in amusement, studying his facial expression.

Squall's face went blank. 'FOXHOUND? It can't be.' He gazed at Nida intently before asking, "FOXHOUND?"

Nida nodded once, very slowly. His hands were clasped behind his back as he continued gazing at Squall. "Who else did you think Acid?"

"FOXHOUND is dead though. It was disbanded three years ago."

Nida broke his gaze and waved his hand, dismissing Squall's comment as he paced around the room once more. "That's just a cover up. That's all I can tell you for now. We couldn't let people have the perception of FOXHOUND as they saw fit after what happened with… you." At this, he turned and raised an eyebrow at Squall. "You caused a lot of trouble you know." It was a statement.

Squall ignored the last remark as he gazed at the floor in thought. "All this time… FOXHOUND's still been active." He muttered. "All this time…"

"Like I said, we couldn't ruin our image and back then there was a lot of heat on us for having been affiliated to you."

Anyone else would have been insulted at this but Squall didn't care. He had indeed embarrassed the organization and tainted its image. Snake had rightfully been angry at the time.

"Who's acting commander now?" Squall already knew the answer but perhaps there was the chance that he had left within those three years.

"You already know. Same person it's always been."

"Snake…" The name rolled off Squall's tongue as he gazed with a blank expression at the lifeless wall ahead.

"So what do you say Acid?" Nida knew this would be difficult for him but he was counting on their promise to release him should he agree to carry out the mission.

Squall sighed. "I don't know if it's really worth it."

"Trust me, it's worth it." Nida assured him. Squall ran his hand through his thick brown hair and Nida watched quietly. He spoke up again. "Don't worry. You don't have to dwell on this here. All we need from you now is a simple 'yes' or 'no'. We need to get you out of here before we can discuss matters more fully." He approached closer and kneeled a few feet away from Squall. "What do you say?"

Squall rested his elbows on his knees as he looked at the floor deep in thought. Nida knew to give him a moment. Many thoughts raced through Squall's mind at that moment. Agreeing to this mission would not only mean working for the organization he once turned his back on, but it would also mean the resurfacing of old memories from the past. Agreeing to this mission also meant confrontation with the man whom he was too embarrassed to face now, following his earlier actions.

"I- I can't do it. I can't face Snake."

"You can. What is this? Since when have you ever quit anything? This is why you're who you are Acid. It's because you never quit."

Squall immediately looked up at Nida dangerously. "I quit FOXHOUND remember?"

The man kneeling next to him stood up and pushed himself up against the wall once more. "Acid, you know what I'm getting at." He took out a third cigarette and lit it. The stress was clearly getting to him.

Squall shook his head once more and brought his eyes down as he ran both hands through his thick hair. "I can't and I won't. There's no point. I'm not the Acid from back then. I have nothing to prove. There's nothing to gain."

"There's nothing to lose." Nida countered, causing Squall to look up immediately. "Acid, we wouldn't call you of all people if this didn't involve you in some way."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Squall nearly shouted, surprising himself even. "What do you mean 'involve me'?"

Nida sighed and looked away from Squall, a look of uncertainty etched across his face. "Look, all I can tell you now, is that this is big and we need you because of your ties to this."

"Nida, why don't you tell me what's going on first? You're trying to convince me to come with you remember?"

"Acid, right now at this moment, we're wasting time by doing this. People will die Acid, if you don't do something. This is big and what we're dealing with will be futile if approached by anyone else but you."

Squall hesitated for a moment. He sighed and looked away towards the bars leading outside the prison. It would be nice to see the outdoors once more, if only for one last time, seeing as how this mission could spell the end of his life. That thought alone, sparked interest in Squall as he dragged on with his seemingly meaningless life.

"Is the mission dangerous? High chance of fatality?" He asked Nida.

Nida stared at him with somewhat sad eyes and replied in a wistful tone. "All your missions are potentially dangerous Acid. You should know that by now. You're the only one who can possibly survive any of them." He took his eyes away from Squall, clearly feeling sympathetic with the life the other man lived.

"I don't need your pity or your sympathy." Came the strong, silent words.

Nida was startled at this and locked eyes with Squall's fierce and cold grey-blue orbs momentarily before pulling away. He hadn't expected Squall to be able to read him so easily in order to pick up on what he was thinking. It was quite fascinating to Nida, at just how talented the other man was at being able to read any scenario at hand and identify his surroundings with ease. He was able to pick up on every detail. That was a clear distinguishing factor that led to success above others.

Squall despised others feeling sorry for him. He never wanted anyone to sympathize with him. It was one of the things that truly irritated him, making him feel weak. As a result, he loathed sympathy.

Squall felt no remorse however, at the moment. All Nida had said only served to spark his determination. He was an empty shell these days, devoid of life and a chance at one last great accomplishment could serve to fuel his dying fire before being completely extinguished by an inevitable fate of doom.

This mission would possibly mean the end of him, and he relished on that thought. At this point, Squall craved the idea of death, especially death in battle. He always envisioned the battlefield as his appropriate graveyard. It was ironically, the only place Squall could truly feel at rest dying in. Along with the bodies and souls of all the others who were killed by him, it was where he deserved to lay.

He nodded reluctantly after a moment and looked up at Nida.

"So you'll do it then?" Nida's eyes had a glimmer of hope in them now as he looked inquisitively at Squall.

Silence for a few moments, then Squall spoke up quietly. "Yeah, I'll do it. I have had enough of this place. Not gonna lie about that." He stared straight ahead while speaking; now avoiding eye contact with Nida.

Nida's face broke out into a small smile once more. "Great. Now let's get you out of these clothes first and then out of here."

Squall stood up off his bed. "It'll take some time to file the paperwork though."

Nida approached the front of the cell and stood at the entrance, waving his arm through the bar, and outside. A guard walked to it and unlocked it moments later. "Don't worry," Nida spoke over his back, "It's already been taken care of. We've already filed everything. All you have to do is walk out."

"What?" Squall exclaimed in disbelief. "You knew I was going to come regardless?"

"Of course Acid. It's my job to predict what others will do. Remember? Get changed. We're out of here in five." With that, Nida left the cell as Squall stood there in it, for the last time.

* * *

**Author's notes: Read and review please. **


	3. Origins: Solid Snake

**ORIGINS: SOLID SNAKE**

Squall was in a small room. There were no windows, and the room reflected the dull colors of metallic grey and brown. The room lacked life and gave off a mood of sterility. Apart from the fact that all this room had going for it was that it was very clean, he couldn't help but draw comparisons to his prison cell. He was awaiting the arrival of the one man whom he didn't mind delaying his confrontation with.

He had been out of prison for three hours. Along with Nida, and several other guards, Squall had been transported in an eight passenger chopper to the southern eastern portion of Esthar. There, the skyscrapers dispersed and traffic from people ceased as they arrived to a more secluded part of the city, if it could even be labeled part of the city any longer. There were no flashy skyscrapers in sight anymore. In fact, the tallest building that stood was an old water tower on its supports that seemed as if it would topple over with the flick of a finger. The geography consisted of scarce trees that came out of the tightly packed dirt ground and a few dead roads here and there, all surrounded by numerous dilapidated and rundown buildings, stores, and old factories. Not the most welcoming place for any but the most inconspicuous for a classified military base.

Memories rushed back to Squall as he had entered the small military facility. The few people that consisted of staff had all looked at him in shock, no doubt realizing who he was. None of the few people he ran across were recognizable to him however. It seemed as if FOXHOUND had undergone a slight reshuffle.

Not that it mattered to him. During his days of service, he only dealt with a select few individuals while he was on missions. Even most of the staff in FOXHOUND were oblivious to his tasks.

Squall studied the repetitive and simple patterns along the wall before he heard the metal door open and shut. He closed his eyes as he heard slow footsteps stop several feet away from him.

He already knew who it was without even having to turn around and open his eyes.

"Acid." The voice was unmistakable. It was rough and very deep, deeper than Squall's even.

Squall slowly opened his eyes and turned around to face the man he'd let down three years ago.

There he stood, only an inch shorter than Squall but still emanating an aura of great power and respect. He had aged in the past three years but still looked as if he could take on anyone thrown into his direction. He now sported a moderate amount of facial hair and the hair on top was longer as well, dropping to his chin in messy fashion, no longer secured by his infamous bandana. He wore black pants and a black muscle shirt, making him appear as if he was dressed to go out casually as opposed to leading an elite anti-terrorist organization.

"Snake…" Squall greeted the older man quietly, acknowledging him with a simple nod of the head. "It's been awhile."

The two were locked in an unofficial staring contest, each penetrating the other with his intense gaze. The tension in the room was thick, to the point of not allowing a knife to even penetrate it.

Snake broke his gaze with Squall and eyed the younger man up and down. He took note of the fact that despite his three year absence from field action, he still had the same form he always carried when he had been working for FOXHOUND.

Squall still looked in just as great shape as before.

After another moment of uncomfortable silence, Snake spoke up again, finally replying. "Yeah, it has." His words were simple and he cleverly chose not to bring up the past at the moment. "How have you been?"

Squall knew Snake was trying to avoid discussion regarding Squall's departure. He wasn't sure if he welcomed that notion or not. The silent but evident tension between the two was bothering him and as much as he disliked the thought, he wanted to confront Snake about the past, if only, to get it out of the way. To Squall, it was an itch that desperately needed to be scratched so that he could carry on with this mission with some peace of mind.

"Fine." Squall finally answered, calmly, quietly and somewhat lamely. He had a mask of indifference plastered on his unshaven face. As good as Snake was at reading others' emotions, Squall was equal to the task of hiding his.

"You look good. Looks like prison life hasn't had the negative impact I thought it would have on you." Snake stated. His fierce gaze continued to burn itself on Squall. "Then again, I don't think anything can keep you down for very long, or even at all."

Squall frowned. What was Snake trying to do here? Here he was, acting the exact opposite way Squall had expected him to. He was not fooled by Snake's demeanor. Snake wanted to play games but Squall was simply in no mood to do so.

"Look, cut the crap already. Why don't you tell me what's really on your mind instead of beating around the bush." Squall practically demanded, taking a step closer.

Snake raised an eyebrow, then slightly frowned as he too, took a step closer. Crossing his arms over his chest, he spoke in an even deeper voice this time. "I don't know what crap you're talking about. I'm commenting on what I see. Do you see a problem with that?"

"Bullshit." Squall snarled. "You know exactly what I'm talking about." He eyed Snake dangerously.

"Oh yeah?" Snake questioned, cocking his head to the side, feigning confusion.

"If you have something to say, then come out and say it to my face instead of pretending everything's okay." Squall was irritated and didn't mind showing it at the moment.

"Losing your cool already before the mission's even started? What is this?"

"Fuck you Snake. Don't play fucking mind games with me. They don't work." Squall retaliated. He immediately took note of the rise in anger in Snake's eyes.

Snake stepped even closer. The two were now only several feet apart and locked in another deadly stare with one another. Snake spoke up quietly and slowly through clenched teeth. "I'd never play mind games with you. You know that. You're way above that."

"You're right. But how about you tell me what's really on your mind instead of pretending like everything's okay!" Squall shouted, keeping his intense gaze locked onto Snake. He studied the older man carefully, awaiting his reaction.

To his surprise, the older man's frown and anger softened up as he averted his eyes away, turning around at the same time.

"You know what's really on my mind. You knew it before you even stepped in here. You don't need me to tell you." Snake spoke quietly and calmly, his face hidden from Squall's.

"Then stop bullshitting me with this mumbo-jumbo crap and get to it already!" Squall was furious. His stormy grey eyes were borderline psychotic and could paralyze nearly anyone with fear at the moment.

The next moment was a blur to Squall, who was often always ready for anything. Snake's fist came flying faster than anything he'd ever seen, connecting with his left cheekbone, knocking him hard to the floor. It was a powerful blow that left him tasting blood in his mouth.

He looked up at the older man, his eyes sparkling in the dim light with murderous intent. As quickly as the anger had come, it immediately subsided as his face took on a cold and stoic demeanor. Had it been anyone else, Squall would have been up in a flash and would have disfigured the sorry individual who even had the guts to lay a finger on him.

But not this man. This man was an exception. Squall, no matter what Snake did, could never bring himself to strike back, unless it was in training. There were three people Squall had ever respected in total and out of them all, he respected no one more than he did Snake. Absolutely no one. He had been a father, mentor and guardian to Squall all at the same time, teaching him everything he knew. To be taken in, trusted so completely and trained by a legend such as Solid Snake was a privilege, and Squall never forgot that.

Snake gazed down at Squall, who now appeared calmer than he had ever been since entering the room. Whether he was faking it or not, Squall's stoic expression hid any possible trace of anger. He simply returned Snake's silent stare, as if awaiting a response from the older man. Snake sighed, slightly disappointed with himself for lashing out and turned around, away from Squall.

He walked to the door and placed a hand on it, resting his head on his extended arm. "Are you happy now? Is that what you wanted?"

Squall slowly stood up and wiped away the small trace of blood dribbling down his chin. He swallowed the blood in his mouth, tasting the trail of iron down his throat and coughed to clear it. "You still got it old man. Age really doesn't get to you does it?" He joked sardonically.

Snake turned around, slightly surprised at Squall's behavior, yet slightly expecting it at the same time. Part of him had expected Squall to fight back after the punch but having known the younger man for years, he understood perfectly the respect he commanded from him. That itself, made Snake grateful although he would never admit it to his student.

Snake's lips curved up into a bitter grin. He narrowed his eyes and spoke, "You know you really pissed me off when you left?"

"You told me that so many times. How can I forget?"

"I don't want you to forget. I want you to remember because a man has to be able to live and thrive from his mistakes."

Squall wiped away more blood from his lip and looked down at his hand. He spoke, his eyes still on his hand, "You ever reach that point in your life, when you just wanna throw in the towel and say 'fuck it'? He looked from his hand, back up to Snake, awaiting the older man's response.

"All the time. But you never actually told me the real reason you left. You know… it was so sudden." Snake walked up closer to Squall, studying his face. "One day you were Acid, then the next, you were only a fragment of him."

"Maybe I always was." Squall remarked.

"No." Snake shook his head. "It was too sudden. You never told me why you just decided to stop. But you know what? Despite what you may think, I don't really care at the moment."

Squall didn't believe the older man but let him continue.

Snake spoke up again. "That's enough for now. Trying to pry this out of you is not the time or the place." He strolled away to the side and leaned against the wall, looking down on the floor with his arms crossed. "We didn't bring you here so we could bicker about the past."

Squall raised an eyebrow and awaited the man's next response.

Snake spoke up quietly this time. "We got a big one this time Acid…"

Squall nodded his head, despite the fact that Snake could not see it. "I know, Nida told me."

Snake raised his head and focused on Squall. "This is unlike anything you've ever done before. Because of the severity of this mission, only you could be trusted to go in."

"How did you know that I wouldn't become some slob while in prison?" Squall countered, cocking his head to the side slightly.

"Because…" Snake's voice dipped even lower. "You'd never disappoint me twice. I know it. That's why I'm still proud of you, even though you've pissed me off."

Squall looked away immediately, unable to meet Snake's eyes at the moment. This was reminiscent of a father-son moment, and both men knew that. It was strange for a conversation to carry so much emotion and weight, especially when it involved two people who lived on ignoring them.

Finding his voice, Squall too, spoke up softly this time, "Snake, I-"

"I know." Snake immediately cut him off, leaning away from the wall. "But let's put that to the past for now and concentrate on the task at hand."

Squall nodded and looked at Snake once more, this time determination set on his face. It was like the old days, when he would always set out on a mission to prove to his superior that he was more capable of pulling it off.

He always appreciated how Snake and he understood each other on an entirely different level than others did. Words were not always needed between the two in order to understand one another.

"So you were saying?" Squall questioned.

Snake's face turned grave all of a sudden. "This is high-class priority Acid. We're dealing with elite soldiers on the opposing line here."

Elite soldiers? Squall didn't like the direction this was headed in. He frowned and spoke up, "Give me the lowdown."

Snake glanced at the wall before back at Squall. "The President has been kidnapped by a highly trained terrorist strike team."

"President?" Squall raised an eyebrow. "Who? Laguna Loire?"

"Yes."

Laguna Loire was the president of Esthar and as much as Squall thought of him as a fool for his upbeat and quirky attitude and behavior in such a serious position, he respected the man for his accomplishments. Under his guidance, the country was more economically stable than it had ever been and the majority of people prospered. Before coming to power, the country had been in a recessive state, with great rates of unemployment and lack of facilities to keep citizens happy. Now, quality of life had risen so dramatically during his tenure as president that it nearly rivaled that of exotic Balamb.

"Why was he kidnapped? What do the terrorists want?" Squall questioned.

"Apparently, they want the nuclear launch codes from him to fire at Galbadia."

Squall's eyes widened ever so slightly as his eyebrows creased further. "What…? They want to fire at Galbadia?" His voice contained a hint of surprise.

"They want to start a war because war means a need for soldiers and weapons. If nukes are fired from Esthar onto Galbadia, everyone will assume that Esthar has gone hostile and a war will undoubtedly break out." Snake spoke matter-of-factly, studying Squall in the meantime.

Squall shook his head in disgust and looked at the dim light on the ceiling. "That's sick."

"It gets worse." Snake paused and made sure he had Squall's undivided attention. When he did, he spoke once more, "This isn't just any terrorist strike team. This is SARC."

Squall's eyes widened considerably as he gave Snake a questioning look as if asking 'are you kidding me?'.

Snake read it like a book and answered his thoughts. "No, I'm not kidding you. SARC is back and in full swing."

Indeed, SARC had always been known to border on the line of ethics when it came to their actions. Now it seemed as if they completely threw away any ounce of it they had left. SARC had been inactive for years after being disbanded, and this sudden reemergence was surprising to Squall.

"How many are there?" That question was eating at Squall as he had to know the numbers he was dealing with.

"From what we know, there are four main members of SARC that have taken the nuclear facility hostage and they have a small army at their back." Snake replied.

"How the hell did they break into such a heavily armed facility though? That place is crawling with security." Squall was perplexed.

At this, Snake sighed and looked away from Squall, seeming hesitant to answer him. "Acid, this isn't just any SARC team. This team is led by Liquid Snake…"

Squall's blood turned ice cold.

Liquid Snake. Solid Snake's greatest rival by far. He was a man who epitomized evil. While training under Snake, Squall had heard tales of his mentor's confrontations with Liquid, which nearly resulted in Snake's life. Liquid Snake was the identical twin to Solid Snake and was considered his superior in every aspect.

Separated from each other during childbirth, Liquid had grown up taking an entirely different path from Snake, although still ended up becoming a soldier not surprisingly. It always fascinated Squall to no end, how two identical brothers could emerge so different in nearly every aspect excluding the physical nature.

"Liquid Snake?" Squall breathed out in disbelief. "But I thought Liquid was dead?"

Indeed. Snake's last field mission had taken place sixteen years ago up in the northern continent of Trabia when he had been an operative for FOXHOUND at the time. That mission had involved stopping a terrorist known as Liquid Snake from operating a walking nuclear battle tank known as 'Metal Gear'. Apparently, Metal Gear had only briefly been used by Liquid before Snake was able to put a stop to his brother's psychotic quest for destruction. It had been assumed that Liquid Snake died in the blast caused by the explosion of Metal Gear.

The horrors of that mission had undoubtedly left numerous emotional scars on Snake. Having taken their toll on him, he was unable to continue to serve as a field agent any further and immediately resigned from FOXHOUND. Several years later, he had been chosen to take over the unit as its acting commander, doing so reluctantly. He never recounted what exactly went on in that final mission. Over time, he came to accept his position and soon took in the promising student who would go on to become 'Acid Snake', forming a unique bond with him in the process.

"Apparently not." Snake answered bitterly, reflecting on the past with distant eyes.

"Liquid's alive and he's taken over SARC?" Squall was completely overwhelmed with all of this information. "When did this happen?"

Snake shook himself from his slight daze and eyed Squall carefully with narrowed eyes. "We just got news of all of this early today from intelligence. I- I thought Liquid was dead and that part of my life was behind me…" He paused momentarily. "…But I guess I was wrong." He looked to the floor, looking slightly vulnerable for the first time in ages.

Squall had never seen Snake so troubled and distressed. He knew this was difficult for him. "Snake," he spoke up calmly, "You should-."

"I should be the one to go, not you." The older man immediately cut him off, raising his head and eyeing Squall fiercely.

Squall shook his head although he understood Snake's reasons. This was indeed his fight more than it was Squall's. In fact, this wasn't Squall's fight at all. Despite this, Squall knew that it was best he carry out this mission as opposed to Snake.

"No Snake. You should stay here and lead from HQ." Squall's face was contorted into a frown as his eyes bore into Snake.

"Acid, right now, I wouldn't even think twice before heading out and carrying this mission myself if it weren't for the fact that this involves you just as much as it involves me."

There it was again. Nida had mentioned something about the mission involving Squall earlier as well but had failed to elaborate on what that exactly meant for him.

Squall scowled once more and stepped up to Snake. "Nida said the same thing. What the hell is going on?"

Snake nodded, as if insinuating that it would be best to tell him now. "There have been reports circulating today from intelligence, only rumors though but still there, that there's a third party acting in this."

Squall still didn't see the connection. "So?" He asked gruffly. "What does this have to do with me?"

It was silent for another moment as Snake seemed to hesitate in his answer. He spoke rather quickly. "The rumors are that it's Carbon. They're saying that he's the third party."

Time and the entire world just seemed to slow down and stop for Squall. Sound ceased as everything became quiet and still. Squall blinked once.

* * *

Carbon.

He hadn't heard that name in an extremely long time. In fact, he had willed himself to forget that it ever existed in hopes of forgetting the man the name belonged to.

Carbon: the code handle for the man once known as Seifer Almasy. Prior to Squall's arrival at FOXHOUND, he had been the best agent the unit had ever seen since the days of Solid Snake. Tall, proud and somewhat arrogant were the qualities that often described the complex man and enigma that was Carbon.

There were three people Squall respected in life. The second was Seifer Almasy. Aside from Snake, he had been Squall's mentor from the start as well, teaching him things Snake would not trust Squall with so early on. While Snake was the father figure Squall had never known throughout his life, Seifer was like an older brother.

The two were friends but rivals at the same time. It was an odd relationship that did not need further explaining. They performed missions separately but there had been cases where Squall had tagged along with the older man in hopes of learning his tricks. Learn he did. He quickly discovered Seifer's brutally violent and aggressive nature towards his enemies.

'Show no mercy.' Had been his motto.

Squall's time with Seifer did not last. Having only been with FOXHOUND a total of two years, at the age of nineteen, Squall was in for a real shock when he discovered that Seifer had turned his back on FOXHOUND unexpectedly and attempted to destroy every single member single handedly. He had started and ended with Squall.

A spar in the training facility of FOXHOUND's headquarters had turned into a serious fight as Squall found Seifer attempting to kill him within minutes of facing off for reasons unknown. Snake had intervened and prevented Seifer from delivering the final blow to a nearly unconscious Squall.

As Squall lay bleeding on the floor, unable to move, he witnessed his two mentors or even, his father and his brother, displaying such animosity towards one another that it frightened him more than the possible death creeping over him.

Seifer had struck Snake down and had fled upon the immediate arrival of heavily armed guards, unable to complete the task of finishing his former mentor. That had been the last time Squall ever saw or heard from the man again.

A part of Squall died that day as he had slipped into a state of unconsciousness.

* * *

"No." Squall muttered in complete disbelief, unable to accept any of this. It was too much for him, too quickly. "No. That's bullshit. You're feeding me bullshit Snake." He shook his head and gave Snake a pleading look, as if asking his mentor to assure him that it was all just a lie.

"Acid, thi-" Snake tried to get out.

"No!" Squall cut him off. He was trying to convince himself this wasn't real. "That's bullshit Snake and you know it!" He shouted in anger, pointing his finger at the older man accusingly. His eyes were venomous and held pure contempt as he reflected on the man who had once been a brother to him.

Snake was grateful that the room was soundproof. He did not want the staff becoming aware of Squall's outbursts. "I wish it was but fact's fact. Carbon could very well be there." He spoke calmly, trying to ease the younger man down at the moment. He had anticipated this reaction upon mention of the man who had once been very close to Squall.

Squall hung his head, still trying to mentally convince himself that this wasn't real, yet letting reality sink in nonetheless. He immediately collected himself once more yet his expression was no longer stoic and emotionless as it had been moments earlier when he lifted it to meet Snake's eyes. It now held a mildly pained look.

"You just keep dropping bombshell after bombshell on me Snake." His voice was low. He tilted his head to the side and gazed past the older man and at the door. He strode past him, brushing shoulders briefly before reaching the metallic door and placing both hands on it.

"I'm sorry but now you see why we called you. This is as much about you as it is about me." Snake knew that the revelation of Seifer possibly showing up had rattled Squall slightly. At the same time, he knew perfectly well that it was his emergence that would prompt Squall to participate in this mission fully.

"What's his part in all of this?" Squall asked, obviously referring to Seifer.

"Intelligence doesn't know, but he could very well be there and you would have to confront him."

"So he's not acting with Liquid?"

"We simply don't know."

"Where is the nuclear weapons base that they took over?" Squall asked over shoulder, putting other questions to the side at the moment.

Snake let out a short breath. "Trabia."

Squall turned around with a contorted expression. "Where you faced Liquid?" He was a bit surprised.

Snake's expression was grim, making it hard to read any emotion he had hidden beneath his exterior. "That's right." He stated calmly.

Squall let out a harsh short chuckle. "How appropriate. Out all alone in the cold, reflective of whom we all are as soldiers."

Snake nodded in agreement. It was a strange way to put it yet it was true.

"Remember," Snake spoke up once more, "Liquid's taken over the facility with three other members of SARC."

"Right." Squall nodded, only half paying attention now, his mind still occupied with the possibility of confronting Seifer. "Who else am I dealing with?"

"The second member of the team is a woman by the name of Sniper Wolf. That's her code handle. She's an expert marksman known to be one of the best in the world. She isn't to be taken lightly Acid. She lines up a shot and you're dead like that. Keep an eye out for her." Snake spoke very seriously now, his eyes wide as they penetrated Squall's, demanding his full attention.

Squall temporarily forgot about Seifer and began to listen intently.

"The third member of SARC is a man named Vulcan Raven. He's giant and built like a tank. From what intelligence has gathered on this guy, he possesses brute strength and is immune to the cold. So watch for him too. Trabia will be like a playground to him. He has a deep spiritual connection to his surroundings."

Squall nodded. "Shaman?" He asked.

"Exactly." Snake confirmed. "Last is Liquid's right hand man: Revolver Ocelot."

Squall stared at Snake with interest. "THE Ocelot?" Squall had briefly heard of him before.

"That's right." Snake nodded. "He's an expert with handguns, particularly revolvers and he's also an expert at torture tactics and interrogation."

"Sounds like quite the team." Squall stated nonchalantly. Despite the tone of voice, Squall was more than concerned about the opponents he would go up against. No doubt they were a force to be reckoned with.

"They are." Snake stated, deathly serious. "This is unlike anything else you've ever done. The odds are stacked against you."

Squall had a grim expression plastered on his face. "The odds are always stacked against me."

"But not like this."

"I know."

The two men glared at each other for a moment, an odd silence engulfing the room.

Snake then went up to Squall and put his hand on his shoulder. "We better get going now. Time's already ticking. I'll brief you on everything in more detail once we get you in your suit and set everything else up. We've got a lot of work to do. Come on."

Squall smiled ever so faintly as he recollected his old sneaking suit. As much as it brought bad memories back of missions he had participated in, he could not help but miss being in it once more. He nodded, breaking eye contact with Snake and turned around, gripping the handle of the metallic security door, opening it in the process.

"Wait." Snake's voice called out behind him as he stepped out. He partially turned around slowly, his side facing the older man as his head was fully in his direction. "I forgot to give you this."

With that, the older man took out a thin piece of light blue cloth from his pocket and dropped it into Squall's hand. Squall looked up immediately from the cloth to Snake questioningly and with utter disbelief. This day continued to shock him.

It was Snake's bandanna. The bandanna he had worn so long ago while on his missions. The bandanna that had characterized him as the person he was.

"What?" Squall was genuinely startled. "But I can't take this… This is yo-"

Snake immediately cut him off, shaking his head. "It's yours now." he said with a commanding tone, invoking finality. "You deserve it." He looked down, closing his eyes in the process and letting out a heavy breath. "I- I should have given it to you years ago and I wanted to…" He paused and looked back up. "But then you left…"

Squall was speechless. He truly was at a loss for words. Never did he imagine receiving something of such great importance from the man whom he had once felt he betrayed.

Snake's sterile expression was back up again as he brushed past Squall, out into the hall. "Come on Acid. The world doesn't like to be kept waiting."

* * *

**  
Author's notes: That's it with the intros and formalities. The next chapter is when the mission takes full flight. Yes, the characters of Metal Gear Solid will be in the story and yes, expect showdowns.**


	4. Enter: Acid Snake

ENTER: ACID SNAKE

The Trabian military base was a heavily guarded and very secure site that existed away from the rest of civilization. Located in the northern and very remote parts of Trabia, the base was away from the public's eye and most preferred it that way. It was situated in a clearing surrounded by lush evergreen forests that were now painted white from all the snow.

It was a building like any other military base with some exceptions. The base itself was divided into numerous floors, each specializing in different parts of military weaponry, research and training. The base however, only had one main floor overseeing the outside world with a communications tower positioned directly on top. The rest of the base existed underground, extending several hundred feet down. What went on inside the facility was a mystery to anyone not directly involved with the base. It was a mystery even to Squall.

Laying flat on his stomach in the snow, and with more falling down around him furiously, Squall peered through his goggles from several hundred feet away at the large base in front of him. He was on the outskirts of part of the forest surrounding the base.

Twenty five minutes earlier, he had been dropped from a military chopper and into the forest, a mile away from his current location. Navigation through the thick forest had been partially difficult, if only from all the snow accumulated within that had gotten in his way.

Currently, Squall was awaiting the expected arrival of a few troops who would no doubt be sent in to check what had been dropped into the forest.

Feeling a strange but once familiar vibrating sensation within his right ear, Squall placed a hand to it and immediately heard a sound resonating within his ears. His eyes continued to scan through the goggles in his other hand as he observed the distance.

"Acid Snake? It's both an honor and a pleasure to be working with you sir." The voice was feminine and contained an air of excitement, yet remained professional. Squall didn't recognize the voice at all.

His eyebrows contorting into a frown, he snarled, "Who the hell is this?"

There was a very brief pause before the voice spoke up again. "My name is Quistis Trepe, sir. I'll be part of your support crew for this mission, sir. I'm in charge of advising you via codec and linking you from your current position to HQ." The woman continued to remain professional and did not sound intimidated by Squall's slightly aggressive remark.

Squall continued to peer through his goggles. He watched carefully, still remaining hidden in the snow as six heavily armed soldiers approached cautiously. They were all wearing grey colored arctic gear and had white balaclavas over their heads, protecting them from the cold. All six had assault rifles in their hands that Squall was unable to identify at the moment.

"Sir?" The voice was heard again. "Is everything alright sir?"

Squall watched the men for a few more seconds before he realized she was talking to him. "Yeah, the situation is fine. Quistis right?" He asked, trying to confirm her name.

"Yes sir."

"Quistis can you put Snake on?" Squall asked as he put away his goggles and crawled backwards a little, into the forest.

"Acid." Came the deep voice of Snake. "What's your situation?"

"Snake, there are six enemy soldiers approaching. They saw my landing no doubt." Squall spoke calmly as he stood up into a crouch and took cover behind a large tree, hidden away by the thick snow and shrubs.

"Do whatever you have to, to get in Acid. Make sure he's okay." Snake spoke. "You know what we discussed."

Squall was fully aware of the plan to infiltrate the base. He had purposely been deployed within a fairly close proximity of the base in order to draw suspicion. He would then lure out enemy soldiers and don the disguise of the one who would be unfortunate enough to come across him.

Squall kept his hand firmly pressed to his right ear as he spoke softly, "Snake, there are more soldiers coming than expected."

"How many?" Snake asked.

Squall looked ahead for a moment before casting his eyes down. "Six."

"Well then you'll just have to improvise. You've gotten out of tighter jams than this." With that, Squall felt the very slight static disappearing as the codec conversation was terminated.

He peered out from the side of the tree and witnessed the six soldiers approaching apprehensively. They seemed unsure and were having a difficult time moving in the harsh weather conditions, coupled with their heavy gear. A very small grin etched its way onto Squall's lips as he watched them. His sneaking suit was a far superior piece of attire than what the soldiers had on.

Weighing considerably lighter than any traditional battle gear, Squall's sneak suit was the byproduct of advanced research conducted by the top military facilities within Esthar. It was extremely flexible and adhered to the user's body shape, allowing for maximum movement and practically no discomfort or stiffness. The dark navy blue sneak suit also had adjustable thermal insulation that kept Squall at a comfortable temperature within, despite the harsh weather existing outside.

Squall pushed himself away from the tree as he made his way deeper into the forest. The six soldiers had arrived and entered the area cautiously. Squall remained patient and still as he was hidden between set of shrubs. The soldiers continued to remain together as one unit, refusing to break up as they made their way through the darkened paths of the barely lit forest. He watched as they made their way closer to him, now no more than approximately thirty feet away.

He listened carefully as he heard one of the soldiers pull out a radio and speak into it. "Beginning search for possible hostile target. We've just entered the forest." Putting the radio away, he motioned for the rest of the members to follow him. As they walked right past Squall, he pulled out a silenced tranquilizer handgun and watched from between the shrubs as every guard walked past him, unaware of his existence.

After a few moments, Squall crawled out, checking to make sure they had gone ahead. Squall knew they were heading towards the landing site and had anticipated their course. He stood up and ran through the maze of branches, several feet to the right of the direction the soldiers had marched in. He continued his way through for several more minutes and stopped while in between a few fir trees. Getting down on his stomach, Squall peered through the bottom of the thick tree and soon enough, he heard footsteps several tens of feet away approaching.

The guards were quiet and seemed to sport a no-nonsense type of attitude. Squall positioned his tranquilizer gun and aimed carefully at the feet of one of the passing soldiers. He fired quickly and got into a crouching position, moving forward and to the side immediately.

The very small dart hit the second to last soldier in line in the heel of his right boot. He stumbled and fell clumsily before getting back up.

"What's wrong with you?" One soldier asked.

"Nothing. I think something stabbed into my foot or something bit me." The confused soldier replied as he inspected his boot, seeing nothing noticeable.

The guard at the front laughed through his mask. "Bit you?" He asked, still chuckling. "What could possibly exist in a forest under these conditions that can actually bite you?"

The guard several men behind immediately straightened up and responded, "Yes sir. There was probably just something sticking out from underneath the snow."

With that, the guard ahead nodded and motioned for his men to continue. Squall, who had been listening to the conversation, moved ahead as well, several feet away to the right of the soldiers.

After a few minutes, Squall stopped and entered a thick area of trees. He was about twenty feet away from his landing site. His parachute remained on the snow, covering a large portion of it.

Now crouching, he waited for the soldiers to approach and turned his head to address the man lying down next to him. "How're you doing Mickey?"

The older man, who was still lying on his stomach this entire time, looked up at Squall with eyes mixed with fear and anticipation. "Just fine. I'm scared Leon. What if they catch me?"

"They won't" Came the simple yet emotionless answer.

Mickey nodded once, more so to assure himself that it was true, as opposed to accepting Squall's answer. He was outfitted in white military arctic gear fairly similar to what the soldiers were wearing with several differences. He held the .45 pistol in both hands and stared at it with uncertainty.

"You know I've never done anything like this before Leon. I'm not a military man. I have no experience with any of this."

Squall looked at the smaller man with a stoic expression. No emotion could be read from his face as he stared into Mickey's panicking eyes. "Just remember what we talked about. Your job is simple Mickey. You just hide here and provide cover for me. That's all."

Mickey nodded, still clearly overwhelmed with all of this. A man like him had absolutely no business being here whatsoever and he knew that.

Following Squall's meeting with Nida however, he had been convinced to tag along on a mission that he was promised would grant him his freedom should he accept. At first, the old man had been extremely skeptical and nearly paranoid, asking all sorts of questions and refusing to believe any of it. But when presented with papers granting his release from the cell and after speaking with the warden, he reluctantly agreed to help in any way he could if it would spell his freedom.

"So after this one thing, we'll both be free then?" Mickey asked eagerly, the fear seeming to disappear from within for the first time.

"You heard what they said. They said we do this one thing and we'll both be free." Squall responded, now paying more attention to the growing sounds of approaching footsteps.

"Hey so after this, you wanna do something together?" Mickey asked.

"Hmm?" Squall asked, directing his gaze back towards Mickey.

"I mean, maybe me and you can become partners and open up a business together or something. You know, we could probably make a great team." Mickey was now overcome with excitement. Excitement that was for nothing.

"Sure Mickey." Squall responded. He continued to glance at Mickey and then looked down at his gun as the footsteps became clearer. "Ok here they come."

Mickey looked through the shrubs and back at Squall, the fear taking over once again. "Ok, I can do this. I just have to stay here and give cover. I can do it." He assured himself.

Squall smiled a fake smile and reached down towards the gun being gripped tightly by the older man. "Safety first," he said, removing the safety from the pistol before getting up. "You ready?" He asked, glancing down at Mickey.

The older man nodded, looking up from his position on the floor. "Yeah, I think so."

Squall began to move, making his way around the shrubs. "We do this one thing, and we're both home free Mickey. Just remember what we talked about." He shouted with a whisper as he disappeared into the forest and away from the nervous man.

Squall circled around the area of landing to the side opposite of Mickey as the soldiers approached. Finding a decent vantage point, he got down into a crouching position and peered through some trees layered with snow at the parachute laying several feet ahead.

The soldiers entered the area, still all in one unit with one soldier in particular clearly having trouble remaining steady.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" The lead soldier asked him as he scanned his surroundings before his eyes fell on the parachute. "You've been acting strange ever- Hey wait, what is this!" Approaching the parachute and kicking it, he pulled out the radio once more. "This is the captain of SARC special unit 6, division 4, reporting in. We've found a parachute here with no body. Confirming the landing of unidentified subject. We're going to begin a sweep of the area." Putting the radio back, he motioned for the rest to follow him.

The guard suffering from the effects of the tranquilizer fell down on the ground as he removed his balaclava.

"What the hell are you doing soldier?" The captain asked. "Don't ever remove your mask. That's standard protocol."

"Sir," the young man spoke, clearly looking exhausted and sweating profusely. "I think I'm sick, I feel really hot and tired, sir. I'm… sorry." He had trouble keeping his head up.

"Put your mask back on!" The captain shouted down at him.

The soldier obeyed and slowly put the balaclava back on before weakly responding, "Sir, I feel really weak…" He was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion.

The other soldiers looked at him as the captain sighed. "I don't care how you feel soldier. You can't just sit there. Get up; we have a mission to carry out." With that, he lightly kicked the younger soldier in his thigh, motioning for him to stand up.

The opportunity was now perfect as Squall pulled out a signal addressor and pressed the button.

From the other side, a loud beeping sound was heard emitting from Mickey's belt. The soldiers instantly went on full alert as they all stood up straight with their guns raised, prepared to head in the direction of the sound.

From within the shrubs, Mickey's face went as pale as a ghost's. Frantically attempting to shut off the signal emitting the noise in any way he could, his hands were trembling uncontrollably as he let go of his gun.

"There's someone there. I see something!" One of the soldiers shouted to the others. Immediately, all of them aside from the tranquilized soldier made their way through the brushes and to the location making the noise.

"Sir, what about him?" One soldier quickly asked, addressing the guard still sitting on the floor.

The captain turned around, taking one quick glance at the guard on the floor before looking back up and immediately turning around. "No time. Forget him. Let's go!"

Squall sat carefully, as he watched them quickly disappear from site, leaving the tranquilized soldier alone. He quickly pulled out a radio and whispered through, "Mickey they're coming. Run."

* * *

From the other side, Mickey heard Squall's voice through a radio he wasn't aware of. His blood turned ice cold as he took in Squall's message. Having no time to think about responding, Mickey quickly grabbed his gun, stood up and began to run in the opposite direction the soldiers were approaching from.

The five men heard Mickey get up and could just make him out from several meters ahead, clumsily weaving in and out of the trees.

"Target spotted. There he is, get him!" The captain shouted as all five soldiers broke into a full sprint, running through the trees in order to catch their target.

The plan had gone accordingly and Squall only had a small window of time in which he could execute his actions. Quickly getting up from the bushes, Squall made his way out towards the clearing where the drugged soldier was trying his best to remain sitting upwards.

The soldier, despite his unstable state, could make out someone quickly approaching behind him. Turning his head ever so slowly, with all the effort he could muster, he was just in time to see Squall approach from behind and grab his neck, immediately snapping it with a sick twist.

The soldier's lifeless body fell limply to the ground as Squall quickly dragged him back into the bushes. Wasting no time, Squall began undressing the deceased man, stripping him of his arctic attire and his weapons. He knew that Mickey would be caught soon and they would return for their man. Time was of the essence and Squall had to work efficiently.

From the other side, Mickey's breaths became shorter and more frantic. He exhaled heavily, emitting heavy wisps of vapor into the air as he continued to run as far as his old legs could take him. He was in no physical shape to be doing any of this and could have collapsed at any moment. The fact that his life was literally at stake invoked him to continue on further.

It was no use however, as the soldiers behind him were clearly athletically superior to him, gaining ground quickly. He could hear their shouts from behind as their voices drew nearer. Knowing that simply running was going to end up costing him his life, Mickey quickly stopped, turned around and fired several rounds in the direction of the oncoming soldiers.

The shots from the handgun echoed throughout the forest, breaking a serenity that had existed previously. A flock of ravens overhead scattered from treetops.

The soldiers immediately raised their assault rifles and began firing in retaliation. Mickey heard the barrage of bullets and immediately turned around, and began to run.

For some unknown reason however, he couldn't move his legs and urge them to carry on anymore. He felt a strange prickling sensation throughout his lower exterior and the back of his legs. And then, without warning, the chill of the cruel weather immediately invaded his body instantly, causing him to open his mouth up in shock and let out a gasp.

Mickey fell forward on the ground, the snow cushioning his fall. The handgun still in his left hand, he slowly turned around and lay on his back in the snow. He could still feel the painful numbing sensation, now spreading throughout his entire body as he let out another painful gasp. He could hear the footsteps of the soldiers cautiously approaching him.

He let out another painful short breath and with all the strength he could muster, rolled over to be met with the site of red stain colored snow. Tears began to form in his eyes as he opened his mouth in shock, attempting to let out another cry, but failing miserably.

With his right hand, he outstretched his arm and ever so carefully, touched the snow now soaked with his own blood. Tears and drool left his face, slowly falling on the blood stained snow underneath. He had agreed to this. He had agreed to take on this task in exchange for his freedom but had ended up paying with his life instead.

As the pain became sharper and more defined, its clarity allowed Mickey to know where he had been shot. He could feel numerous bullet wounds throughout his back and the back of his legs. He began to sob uncontrollably, not as a result of the pain, and not as a result of knowing his life would soon pass, but because of the realization that freedom had just been within inches of his grasp, but had eluded him.

The five soldiers approached him from behind and witnessed the wounded man surrounded in a pool of snow tainted with blood crying to himself silently.

One of the soldiers chuckled, two more joining in at the site being displayed.

The captain simply shook his head. "You're pathetic." He snarled at the man lying several feet on the ground ahead of him.

Hearing this, Mickey acted on impulse and anger, anger of having been robbed of his potential freedom. Without warning and with unexpected speed from such an old man, Mickey turned around and with the pistol still clutched in his left hand, fired off a couple of shots before the fire was returned from the soldiers.

Mickey's body began to shake uncontrollably and violently from the barrage of bullets, with blood shooting out of his mouth as his eyes rolled back. The pistol fell out of his trembling hand as the soldiers continued to fire for several more seconds, enjoying the punishment being dished out and the site of the helpless and now lifeless man before them.

* * *

From the other side of the forest, Squall had heard the different intervals of gunfire. The current sound of continuous gunfire however, informed him that Mickey had no doubt been caught and had been killed. Squall had known from the start that Mickey had been nothing more than a sacrifice and a decoy in order to successfully get Squall into the facility undetected. The old man that had been Squall's cellmate for quite some time had served his job and completed his role for FOXHOUND.

Anyone else might have been shocked at the insensitivity and coldness displayed towards Mickey but Squall felt nothing nor did he care about the outcome. Mickey had been an expendable part of the mission and had served his purpose.

The arctic gear was a tight fit over his sneaking suit, but it covered him up fairly well, hiding all unnecessary traces that would indicate he was an intruder. Squall had finished dressing up with more than enough time, allowing him to drag the dead soldier's body further into the forest.

Making his way back to the clearing where the soldier had initially lay, Squall lay on the ground on his back, feigning exhaustion. He quickly put on the balaclava and waited.

Several minutes passed before he heard the footsteps approaching once more. The five guards emerged from the bushes and came into view as they stepped into the clearing once more. The captain of the squad approached Squall and towered over him. Squall pretended to have trouble raising his head as he stared at a mask identical to the one he was wearing.

"You know what you've done is unacceptable soldier?" The captain barked at Squall, who weakly nodded.

"I'm…sorry sir. Not…feeling well." Squall choked out, mimicking the former soldier's voice perfectly in the process. His act was so well executed that none of the soldiers around him contained even a hint of suspicion on their faces.

The captain sighed. "Can you stand up?"

Squall made a weak attempt to stand on his two legs, allowing them to buckle out from underneath before collapsing once more.

The captain rolled his eyes and motioned for two other soldiers to help Squall up and help him out of the woods. The soldiers each assisted him as the group of men slowly made their way through the harsh chill and out of the forest, to be met with the downfall of heavy snow once more.

* * *

As Squall feigned his sickness, he took this chance to study the unit surrounding him. The two men on either side of him were of similar heavy build and three men were ahead, two surrounding the captain, who appeared to be smaller than the two. He was now on the radio speaking to someone from within the base. After shutting it off, he turned to give Squall a quick look before marching forward once again. The military base slowly began to creep closer and closer as the six men trudged through the thick sheet of snow.

Squall listened quietly as the captain issued an order for the heavy metal doors to be opened up so they could enter. After being granted access, the entire unit began to trek through the courtyard of the base and up to the main building. Squall carefully took in his surroundings as he saw soldier after soldier perched at every outpost, patrolling every possible path. The manpower was astounding and all of them were heavily armed to the teeth. The walls around the entire base were as high as twenty feet of solid, reinforced armored plating with electrical wiring all around.

There must have been over sixty soldiers alone just outside in this portion of the area. He could only guess how many more lay inside the base.

Squall was carried into the base and after what seemed like an eternity being outside; he was hit with an uncomfortable blast of warm air with the additional arctic gear over him, as the entry guards cleared them for entry. Squall avoided making frantic head movements to study the inside of the main entrance of the base as the unit began to walk down a large and heavily fortified hall, towards a great elevator to the right side, several meters down.

The inside of the base was well lit and the walls and flooring consisted of metallic sheets of plating all across the area. It wasn't exactly the most welcoming of areas and it produced a no-nonsense atmosphere. The hallway in which they were walking through was completely bare and plain, save aside from the numerous guards who were on duty.

Guards of different attire, wearing what seemed like heavier, modified white arctic armor with full face masks patrolled the area and all seemed to be alert and on guard, especially after having noticed the entrance of the squad of six men. Squall could feel the eyes of all the soldiers on him, watching and burning holes with their steady gazes, through his armor as he was continued to be helped to the elevator.

The captain finally stopped as he pushed the button and beckoned for the two men at his side to disperse. Without even so much as a salute, the two soldiers next to him both gave simple nods and walked away, further down the hall and around another.

The captain studied Squall carefully as he began to speak. "We'll see what the Colonel has to say about this."

Squall tilted his head to the side in genuine confusion as he asked hoarsely, "Colonel?"

The captain gave a slight nod of his head several times as he positioned his assault rifle more comfortably underneath one arm pit and examined the clip for a second. "He's not going to like hearing about this. We've been recruited because these guys assumed we're the best for the job. How the fuck do you think what happened out there will sit through with him?" The captain began to steadily raise his voice as apparent anger took over.

Squall hung his head as a sign of shame before he heard captain let out an angry low snarl and the elevator's doors ring open. The heavy security doors made way to a large, but dimly lit elevator containing two armed guards inside.

The captain stepped in before exclaiming, "Leave us." The other two men gave similar nods to the soldiers of earlier as they exited the elevator, stealing a quick glance at Squall before he was carried into the elevator. The captain looked at Squall before ordering the two guards to set him down.

Instead of being set down, Squall was simply released from their holds as he fell to the ground roughly, half not expecting them to let go quickly. One of the guards quickly took away the assault rifle and the standard handgun Squall had in his holster.

Squall knew something was about to happen and didn't feel as if it would be a pleasant thing. The chiming of the elevator came to an end as the large grey, metallic doors swung open, revealing a dimly lit large hall with far fewer guards than upstairs. Up ahead, Squall could make out a man wearing a trench coat, addressing a small unit of soldiers.

"Come on," The captain stated, catching Squall's attention once more, "let's go." With that, the two soldiers roughly pulled Squall up to his feet as he continued to play sick, dragging him out of the elevator and towards the small unit, passing by the few guards in patrol.

When they were within five meters of the man and the unit, the captain motioned for the two guards holding Squall to halt, as their firm grips remained, holding him up. Squall quickly studied the scene up ahead as he noticed the weak cries of a woman in front of the man, who still had his back to Squall.

The captain cleared his throat and took a cautious step forward. "Sir? We're here to report that we neutralized the problem and dealt with the possible intrusion but we had one of our men hold us back. He's right here if you wanted to deal with him sir."

Through the mask, Squall gave a murderous glare towards the commander, who paid no attention to him. He felt the grip of the two men to his sides strengthen their grips on him.

The man in the brown trench coat turned around for a minute, half revealing his face as his eyes fell on Squall first, and then at the captain second. "I'll deal with him in a minute. Standby." He ordered in a hoarse voice, as he turned back around.

Squall's blood turned ice cold the minute he recognized the man. It was Revolver Ocelot himself in the flesh. Squall had heard tales of him from Snake, and from others during his earlier days, but had never actually ever come face to face with the sadist.

Ocelot was known as an expert marksman. He was deadly with handguns in particular and had a knack for torturing his enemies in the cruelest of ways. There were rumors and myths of his torturing methods being so extreme, that they would break down the most highly trained of operatives. His victims were better off killed right away as opposed to having to suffer from his cruel interrogations.

Another cry was heard as Ocelot raised the back of his left hand and with all the force he could muster, and slapped someone ahead of him. Judging by the cry, the person was definitely feminine now that Squall was only several feet away.

As Ocelot stepped to the side, Squall was now able to see a woman in her late twenties to early thirties in what was once an elegant piece of formal attire, now drenched in blood and torn in practically all places, exposing parts of the body that were not meant to be shown to the general public.

Squall gritted his teeth as he had to restrain himself at the moment from lashing out. The odds were certainly against him. He squinted his eyes to get a better look and the shock that washed over him wasn't something a trained soldier like him ever expected to feel.

It was President Laguna Loire's daughter, Ellone, bloodied and beaten. Squall did not personally know her but she was a well respected and publicly known figure throughout Esthar. She was covered in sweat and dried as well as fresh blood. There were marks everywhere on her body as she shuddered violently and uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face as she cupped her hands together, looking up at Ocelot. It was apparent to Squall that she had been touched in places men didn't normally dare to touch as there were marks on her breasts.

"Young lady, you don't have to pretend that you're not enjoying this. And don't pretend that you didn't enjoy what we did earlier." Ocelot said perversely, a sick grin taking shape on his face.

Squall grit his teeth together as he turned away while Ocelot struck another powerful blow at Ellone's face, this time with the handle of his gun.

A sickening crack followed by a short cry was heard as Ellone lifelessly collapsed to the floor like a rag doll. Squall turned his gaze back to the now lifeless Ellone. Even in the dim light, her big and wide open eyes seemed to stare back at him, burning into his through the mask, as if asking him why he hadn't helped. Ellone Loire, once the proud daughter of the President, now lay dead at the feet of several men, beaten and violated until she had finally gotten her release.

With one final glance at her, Ocelot spat at the once beautiful but now lifeless face of Ellone. With that, he stepped on her head and grinded his boot into it several times, producing more sickening cracks before turning on his heel and facing the captain, soldiers and Squall.

"Well now, what seems to be the problem here?" Ocelot asked nonchalantly, eyeing Squall curiously.

"Sir," the captain began, clearly nervous from the sight just witnessed, "This was the soldier who fell ill."

"And?" Ocelot questioned, slightly annoyed. "Did you neutralize the problem and take care of the task at hand as I asked?"

"Yes sir, we found a man in the forest. Drop by descent via parachute, but we took care of him."

"Is that so?" Ocelot asked with interest, before redirecting his cold gaze back towards Squall once more. "And what about him?"

"He reported that he felt ill so we brought him here as you requested sir." The captain declared, seeming unsure of what to say. Squall slightly tensed up as Ocelot studied him carefully. He was in a bad situation at the moment and hadn't assumed he would end up coming face to face with Ocelot so quickly.

"You see, I didn't ask you to bring him in because he held your men back Captain," Ocelot began, another malicious grin forming on his face as he stepped closer to Squall. "In most cases, there are multiple parties at play in a 'drop by descent' in case one fails. Never underestimate the enemy captain. It's that arrogance that leads to downfall. Always give your opponents respect."

Without warning, Ocelot pulled out his revolver and fired twice into the captain's head, rendering him dead as two clean bullet holes penetrated through his skull. The guards on either side of Squall jumped in shock but held their position and their grips.

"What do you think soldier?" Ocelot asked, grinning wickedly now as he stepped directly in front of Squall, completely unfazed by what just transpired. "Do you think my statements hold any validity?" With that, Ocelot steadied his revolver and pulled back the hammer, readying it for another perfect shot.

Squall had to act fast and his mind raced quickly. As he assumed position to break free from the grips of the two stunned soldiers, his eyes caught a quick figure emerging from the shadows undetected.

* * *

**  
Author's Notes: Wow, where do I start? I guess apologizing for not updating in so long won't do anything to please the few reader's I have, if I even have any left that is. In all honesty, after the last time I posted all the way back during the early part of the year, I kind of lost interest in a lot of things, including the stories I had going. There were a series of events that led to changes in my life and I could never dedicate myself to coming back and writing this. I never actually thought I would ever come back and finish this story off at that point but as the haze and fog clears, clarity is once again restored. So I'm here to say that I'm back and yes, this story is not dead. It will be finished, I guarantee that no matter how long it takes me. To the few readers still here, thank you for your patience. Until the next chapter...**


	5. Origins: Carbon

**ORIGINS: CARBON**

"_Hey Carbon, how do you do it?" A curious Squall asked._

_Seifer, who was several steps ahead, stopped and turned around, a confused expression on his otherwise calm face. "Do what? And please, when we're out here, just call me Seifer."_

_It was unusual for Seifer to wish to be addressed by his actual name. Squall downplayed the part and shrugged, looking off for a second. "You just treat this like a walk in the park. Doesn't the severity of it ever catch up to you?"_

_Seifer simply stared at Squall for several seconds while casually chewing his gum before spitting it out. The expression on his face darkened as he stepped closer to the shorter man. The cocky expression often seen on his face existed no more at the moment as he studied Squall carefully before stepping in even closer, his faces inches away from Squall's ear. Squall stiffened, unsure of what the unpredictable Seifer was going to do._

"_Never succumb to the pressure. Once you do, you can never get out. You never escape it." Seifer whispered the words softly but harshly and backed away once more. He broke his gaze and stared off at a short high rise building resembling an Embassy. With that, Seifer let out a smile as he took out a pair of stylish shades and slid them on, as he began walking towards the building just a block away._

_It was a sunny day in Deling City in the later stages of the morning, contradicting the uneasy mood lingering in the air pertaining to what was about to transpire. _

_The two men walked casually down the busy sidewalk. They were both dressed in business attire, appearing very professional. Squall was donning a simple black two piece suit while Seifer opted to go for a beige color. Underneath the attire however, was an entirely different story. Squall was decked out in his standard navy sneak suit while Seifer donned a more advanced, yet lighter flex suit._

_Seifer whistled at a pair of attractive ladies exposing a great deal of their legs as they crossed paths. The two, one a brunette and the other a redhead, both smiled at him and Squall, giggling, as they slowly broke contact and continued on their way. Squall watched amusedly as they continued towards their destination, waiting at a traffic intersection._

"_You see Acid, there's a big world around you that you never appreciate until you're faced with restricted time, often at a restricted moment." Seifer shoved his hands in his pockets, calmly staring straight ahead. "They say that your senses become heightened when you lose your sight but they don't dare to try and understand just how greatly they become magnified when your life becomes compressed into a span of a precious few seconds."_

_Squall turned to stare at an older lady who had overheard what Seifer had called Squall. She had a peculiar expression on his face. He let out a quick nervous smile and turned to look straight ahead once more. Seifer noticed the tension and let out a chuckle as the light turned green, signaling for them and the masses to cross. _

_An impatient man in a car wishing to turn right quickly attempted to pull a turn before the pedestrians could fully cross. He quickly slammed on the brakes halfway through the turn, realizing he wasn't going to make it when Seifer had quickened his pace crossing the street. Frustrated, he honked his horn at Seifer and rolled down his window giving him the finger._

"_Hey buddy, what the hell do you think you're doing!" He angrily shouted. "Watch where you're going dumb fuck!"_

_Seifer smiled as he looked at Squall while calmly walking across the street. "Aggression is the key to many things. It's the factor that can control the varying degrees of success and failure, wouldn't you agree?"_

_Squall simply looked at Seifer in a confused manner as the older man stepped away from him and approached the driver's side of the car the angry man was in._

_The stocky man, noticing Seifer approaching him, unbuckled his seatbelt and began opening the door of his car to get out. "You wanna start something then huh? Yeah, I'll give you a little lesson in walking etiquette."_

_Seifer, still completely calm and poised, came in fast but steady and slammed the door of the car shut extremely hard before it could open all the way, rocking the car itself and causing the man inside to look up at him in shock. Squall froze as he noticed others in the street and on the sidewalk stop and observe the scene._

_Seifer let out a big wide smile as he leaned in closer to the man inside the car, who slightly cowered in his seat at the realization of just large Seifer, appeared to be. The glare of the sun reflected off the shades Seifer was wearing. "If you have something to say to me now, feel free to go ahead." Seifer cocked his head to the side as his smile grew even wider, waiting on the panicking man._

_The man continued to stare dumbly at Seifer, now seeming to have lost all his confidence._

_Seifer raised his eyebrows as his smile disappeared. "Well?"_

_The man let out a long breath he appeared to have been holding. "Look man, I just wanted to get somewhere real fast. I don't want to cause any trouble."_

_Seifer stood up and brushed his suit several times. "Sure didn't work out that way did it buddy?" He asked, chuckling in the process._

_Squall felt uneasy, slightly anticipating Seifer to lash out and physically harm the man. To his relief, Seifer turned and walked back towards Squall as the man inside the car seemed to turn red from embarrassment and somewhat shrink in his seat._

"_Ah, aggression." Seifer began, raising his arms joyously in the air as they continued on towards their destination, with people still watching in awe. "Where would be in life without it, hmm?" He turned and observed his younger companion, noticing the stiffness in him. "Come on Acid, relax and learn to live a little. Don't be so stuck up all the time. You need to get laid time to time."_

_Seifer slapped Squall on the back as they inched closer to the building, a twenty story tower of glittering glass that reflected off the sun's rays beautifully._

"_You always tell me to relax Seifer, but sometimes I just don't get you. You're so damn unpredictable." Squall's brows had contorted into a frown as they stepped in front of the revolving doors of the building, two guards protecting the entrance._

_The two of them stopped for a moment, both exchanging brief glances. "You ready?" Seifer asked, his face now serious._

_Squall nodded, feeling confident yet slightly nervous. He was astonished. He always questioned how a man could be so simple, yet so deeply complicated. He never admitted it to his companion, but having Seifer around him instilled greater confidence in Squall. Perhaps the fact that the older man was so calm and cool in times of such urgency and seriousness that Squall fed off of that and he himself felt more in control. _

_Seifer began to walk when Squall stopped him. "Hey Seifer?" The older man looked at him questioningly. Squall stared at the guards briefly before looking at Seifer once again. "When we're out in public, can you just call me Squall?"_

_The older man smiled and moved on ahead. He flashed both guards an ID card as did Squall, as the guards granted them access. "Tell you what, after this, we'll go out tonight and I'll buy you a beer and find you a nice girl. How's that sound?" Seifer asked him walking through the marble entrance towards another security gate, this time filled with more guards, now visibly armed. The entire area was empty aside from the guards, who granted access into another portion of the building once one passed through the security gate._

_Squall shook his head slowly in disbelief as he cautiously approached the security gate where the guards were at. There were eight of them he could spot at this moment on this floor and he could only guess how many more lay inside._

_One of the larger guards looked up suspiciously at the two from his newspaper as did the rest. He frowned and folded the paper as he stood up and approached the two apprehensively. "Can I help you two? This is a secure and restricted area." His voice was deep, rough and uninviting, with cold brown eyes glaring at the two men uneasily._

_Squall noticed out of the corner of his eye, the other guards carefully position their hands on their holsters. _

_Seifer's infamous smile broke out once more. "Oh pardon me, it's just that, I was looking for someone. Maybe you could help me?" _

_The guard skeptically eyed Seifer up and down before giving Squall a quick once over. He turned back to Seifer. "Who are you looking for?" His hand still on his holster._

_Squall looked down and noticed Seifer slowly clench and unclench his right fist three times in a row. That was the signal. _

_In a matter of seconds, with the guards completely taken by surprise, Seifer moved like lightning and grabbed the guard next to him and put his left arm around his upper section, trapping the man's left arm and restricting access to his gun. Seifer now brandished a silenced pistol in his right hand and had it up to the man's temple, holding him hostage as he eyed the guards in front of him._

_The guards all went for their guns but were stopped by a gun wielding Squall, who had a silenced pistol of his own in his hand. "Hands in the air, all of you!" He shouted gruffly. He saw a guard attempt to go for a button calling on extra reinforcements. "I will not hesitate to shoot! Don't gamble with me!" Squall shouted at the man as he held the seven other guards at bay._

_Seifer did a quick sweep of the area ,still holding the eighth guard hostage, checking for any signs of incoming backup from all across. "One by one, take out your guns and lay them out down on the ground. Slowly." Seifer's voice was loud but very calm and collected._

_The guards all stared at each other uncertainly, taking a glance at their comrade who was trapped in Seifer's hold._

"_Do it now!" Seifer shouted now, the aggression finally sounding in his voice, as he tightened his grip around the guard, making him visibly wince._

_Squall strafed to the side, his gun still locked on all the guards as he made some distance between them, to get a better vantage point of everything._

"_Hey you!" Another voice shouted. Squall's gaze quickly turned to fall on the two guards from outside rushing in. How had they known? They couldn't see inside the building. Seifer turned and fired at one before he could pull out his pistol and fire. The dead guard collapsed to the ground instantly._

_The other guards quickly broke up and dispersed._

"_Get him!" One shouted._

_

* * *

_

"I said get him!" The captain of the unit shouted, panic evident in his voice, trying to aim at the unidentified soldier in between the shadows of the mechanical room. They had spotted him moments earlier and it was unlike anything he had ever seen in his life. From the brief glimpse he had caught of the mysterious intruder, it was like something out of a science fiction movie.

Donning a full black sneak suit, it appeared much lighter and far less restrictive than any of the armor and gear they were wearing. The mask too, completely shielded the face of the intruder as he was perfectly camouflaged by his current surroundings.

The sound of equipment and machinery roared over any possible sounds the soldiers were making, scrambling around the large, dark room, searching for their comrade being held hostage by a mysterious intruder.

The captain motioned for his men to split up with frantic arm movements as he carefully walked. "Units one and two, go down to the left end of the room and sweep across the wall and corridors! Unit three, stay with me, we're going this way."

He felt the presence of several men approach from behind him as they cautiously followed his lead. He was visibly sweating and was grateful that none of his men were able to see that in the dark. The light amplification goggles they carried helped but didn't do much in order to navigate through the maze and treacherous machinery providing for a good camouflage for the intruder. He was angry at tech control. They were elite soldiers and could be provided night vision goggles, yet they couldn't be equipped with IR to help in a case like this.

'Damn idiots.' He thought bitterly as his eyes moved frantically, searching for any signs of possible movement from the intruder and his man being held hostage. He took another step forward, over the metal surface, carefully scanning the area when he heard the loud thud right behind him. He turned around and noticed the body of his soldier previously being held hostage now lifeless on the ground with his face completely torn to pieces as if it had been cut by hedge clippers. Screaming and shouting from his men ensued as they began to fire frantically all around and up at the ceiling.

"Hold your fire!" He shouted over the noise of the bullets and machinery. "I said hold your fire!"

It was no use, his men were out of control and were hysterical. Many of them were young and inexperienced, not used to dealing with events such as these. Two took of their face masks and began to vomit uncontrollably at the sight of their dead comrade.

The masked intruder appeared from the shadows quickly and with lightning speed, slammed a large twelve inch blade through a soldier's upper back and out the front of his neck, lifting it up in the process. Blood violently spewed forth at the other members of the unit.

The captain fell several steps back in horror and began to open fire, losing his composure as well. "There he is! Get him! Get him!" He shouted frantically, firing without concern for his other soldiers.

The masked intruder began to twirl at breakneck speed in circles around the unit as the bullets being emitted by the soldiers gave off sparks of light to capture the blurring motion. All the soldiers aside from the captain continued to fire unsuccessfully at the target as he moved at a blistering pace like a tornado. The bullets began to dance around and ricochet off the machinery.

"Stop firing!" The captain began to shout. "We're in too close! Fall back!" At that instant, a bullet came bouncing off a nearby piece of metal and struck him straight in the left eye. Blood gushed out through the balaclava and he slumped and fell forward violently on the metal ground.

"FUCK!" A young guard screamed hysterically, realizing what had happened to his commanding officer. He ceased firing and began to run for it.

The masked intruder stopped twirling and brought out his arm to clothesline the younger soldier with his blade. The younger man's neck connected cleanly with the sharp blade as his head instantly separated from the rest of his body, blood spewing forth in every which direction as if a juice box had just exploded.

The guards began to fire at where the masked man had been but instead, their bullets entered the headless body of their comrade as it violently shook from the barrage of bullets before hitting the floor.

Even in the severe cold, and through their masks, the smell of iron was heavy and thick. Now that it polluted the ground. The sounds of the soldiers from units one and two became louder as they rushed towards the depleted third unit consisting of only a few men now.

"No!" One shouted as he saw the first two units approach too quickly. It was too late however, as the masked individual stepped out of the shadows once more, in between the two units and smashed a larger blade through and out of one guard. A guard behind the one impaled, came forward too quickly and was stabbed by the blade penetrating the first soldier's back, letting out a loud and slow gasp before losing all vital signs. The intruder quickly pulled the large blade out of the two dead guards and kicked them back towards the approaching group before disappearing to the other side.

The men from the first two units began to fire to the side as the unit three members watched in horror as a blur flashed far in front of them and behind two additional comrades from the first units, immediately resulting in the loss of their heads with the swift blow of a blade. The other members turned around as the two guards in the back dropped with decapitated bodies to the floor. They continued to fire frantically in all directions.

The unit three members had had enough. They turned around and began to run for it as they heard more and more screams of pain from their group members they were leaving behind.

"Run, just run!" One shouted to the other few as they dashed across the sticky, blood covered floor and out of the room.

* * *

The sound of boots with the clicking of spurs sounded across the metallic floor in the hallways as a man dressed in a leather trench coat made his entrance, occupied by two large and well built guards, shedding their arctic gear for more movement-friendly gear.

The clicking of his boots and heels edged closer and closer to a woman who lay on the floor, her knees tucked behind her to the side as she fearfully looked up at the four guards surrounding her. They all watched her perversely, with sick looks on their cruel faces and their hands at their sides. All four of them eyed her curves and her body up and down lustfully as she turned away, closing her eyes, with a fresh stream of tears dribbling down her cheeks.

Her grey business suit was slightly torn in some areas and did not provide adequate warmth in this cold portion of the base. It was formal attire when she was working with the president, Laguna Loire, who happened to be her father. He was not her biological father but had married her mother Raine, at a young age and she had grown close to him ever since. He was so protective of her throughout her life and ultimately, she agreed to work with him, assisting him in his presidential duties, thus leading her to a career in politics.

Ellone Loire was a beautiful woman in her early thirties and well respected throughout all of Esthar for her professional, yet caring attitude and for her wits. Many believed it was she that led to so much of the success the Laguna Loire administration enjoyed. Ellone's demanding career and lifestyle kept her single but she enjoyed her life. That was, until now, when she had unexpectedly been kidnapped and held hostage during an inspection of the Trabian military facility.

Ellone turned around and looked up as the sound of the boots stopped several feet ahead of her, behind the soldiers towering over her.

"Make way for the colonel." One guard ordered the four who had their eyes on her. They all stepped to the side as an older man with grey hair and a thick grey mustache in a long brown coat approached her slowly. The two men by his side remained still in the back.

The hallway was extremely dimly lit but she could make out lots of wrinkles on the man, indicating that he was in his sixties or even possible, seventies.

Ellone kept eye contact with the man, her own orbs filled with fear as he knelt down slowly next to her, positioning himself at an eye level with her.

"Ah, Miss Loire." His voice was coarse and deep and it sent shivers throughout her body. He reached for her hand as she lightly trembled and fearfully looked at him. Lifting it up, he kissed the back of it before letting it drop. "It's so nice at last to meet you." With that, he stood up on his feet once more and took a step back.

"Who are you?" Ellone asked boldly, no stutter apparent in her voice despite how afraid she was. She could not and would not show fear to them. "What do you want?" She asked more loudly this time.

"Well I doubt you've ever heard of me, Miss Loire." He began, walking further back towards his two guards, who dwarfed him in size, before turning around to face her once more. "I am the Revolver, but you can simply call me Ocelot."

Ellone looked up at him in confusion. What kind of name was that she wondered? She was simply too confused to understand what kind of man this was. "What do you want?" She asked once more, this time slightly trembling from the cold in the air.

Ocelot noticed her visibly shudder and walked up towards her. He began to take off his coat. Ellone looked up at him in complete distrust. The guards too, shared uncertain glances with one another before redirecting their gaze at the scene once more. Ocelot took off the cloak and began to throw it around Ellone's lightly trembling shoulders.

She quickly and harshly flicked the cloak and his hands away. Looking up at him with contempt, she snarled, "I'm fine, I don't need your coat."

Ocelot had a slightly amused expression now plastered on his face as he put his coat back on once more. "I like a brave woman, he smiled. They're so much sexier." Ellone visibly shuddered once more, this time not from the cold. Ocelot stared at her figure just as the guards had done so earlier. He took every inch of her body in before laying his eyes on her once more. This time, the light smile on his face disappeared, giving way to a frown. "You know why you're here don't you?"

"No I don't. As a matter of fact, I have no idea what the hell's going on!" Ellone shouted furiously, more tears threatening to spill down her cheeks.

"Tsk, tsk. Such an outburst. Was it really necessary my dear?" Ocelot spun on one foot and walked back towards his guards once more, standing a distance in front of them with his back turned to her. "Your father is quite the stubborn man."

Ellone froze. They had Laguna too? "What do you want with him? Don't you dare hurt him, leave him alone!" She screamed at Ocelot, attempting to stand up. She was roughly brought down hard by a guard from the side. She looked up at him angrily as Ocelot spun around and walked quickly towards her, leaning down slightly.

He smiled a very haunting smile this time as he took a moment to study her eyes. "You have very beautiful eyes." He stated, circling her sockets gently with his gloved fingers. Ellone turned away instantly at his touch. "Don't worry, we're not going to hurt your father. That would be silly of us." He spoke matter-of-factly as he stood back up once more. "That won't help us get the nuclear launch codes now will it? What good is a dead president to us?"

Ellone's head shot back up to stare at Ocelot in shock. The launch codes? He wanted the launch codes. "What do you want with the launch codes?" She asked quietly and timidly.

"That my dear, is none of your business."

"I- I don't have them." She blurted out, speaking honestly.

"I'm aware of that but you see, that's not why I'm here." With that, Ocelot stepped closer to her and raised his right hand, snapping his fingers together."

Ellone cowered back on her hands as she scrambled to put more space between her and the looming Ocelot. "What do you want? I don't have it!" She cried out.

"You see my dear, your father was given options and he refused to accept the consequences that would follow if he didn't agree to meet our demands."

"What?" Ellone gasped, fearing the worst for her father.

Ocelot chuckled. "Don't worry, he's fine." He assured, as if reading her mind. "You see your father didn't believe us when we said we'd take action for his refusal to cooperate, so here I am, keeping good on my word."

Ellone looked at him once more and noticed a camera turn on in the corner of the wall, the red light and lens pointing directly at her.

"Be a good girl and smile for daddy." Ocelot cruelly joked as he advanced on her and groped her breasts roughly.

"LAGUNA!" Ellone screamed, with the guards watching with perverse satisfaction.

"He can't hear you my dear!" Ocelot whispered into her ear as he roughly kissed the nape of her neck and held her arms and legs amidst all her thrashing. "You really are beautiful you know that?"

"Please, NO!" She continued to scream and desperately call for help as Ocelot took advantage of her and molested her.

The sounds of muffled screams and frantic sobs filled the dimly lit hallway as the pride of Laguna Loire was being violated right in front of his own eyes through a camera lens.

* * *

Ellone Loire lay crumpled on the cold floor in mess. She was bloodied from all the beatings Ocelot had inflicted upon her during her attempts to resist his advancements. Her suit was now torn in all areas, exposing her red breasts and entire upper half of her body. Her legs were bruised and she was covered in sweat as well as Ocelot's discharge. Her body rose up and down in violent intervals as she wept soundlessly. From time to time, a short but high pitched squeal would escape her mouth as she covered her bloodied face with her bruised hands as she continued to cry.

The entire time, the camera had been on and Laguna had been forced to watch the ordeal. She felt no point to her existence any longer. She no longer wished to live after a moment such as this.

Ocelot stood up and nudged her in her stomach with his boot. He zipped up his pants and fastened his belt once more. "Now, now. That wasn't so bad my dear was it? You shouldn't make it so hard on yourself."

Ellone continued to cry silently, her tears mixing in the blood as it rolled down her once beautiful and clean cheeks.

"Remind me to thank your father for being so inviting." Ocelot spoke out. He watched her for another moment before turning around and nodding to his two guards. They smiled and nodded back in appreciation as they stepped forward, past Ocelot and approached Ellone. They too began to unzip their pants as they moved over Ellone's body.

Ocelot watched with interest as the guards on the sides stared at each other, now somewhat uncomfortably. Ocelot noticed this and spoke up. "Do any of you have a problem with what you see?" He asked dangerously.

They all shook their heads and one in the middle spoke up. "No sir, no problem at all."

Ocelot nodded and proceeded to watch his two men violate Ellone further. "Good."

The young and once proud woman no longer had the energy to fight back and resist as the two guards experienced virtually no animosity from her as Ocelot did.

The guards and Ocelot watched for several more minutes when the radio of one of the soldiers standing on the side began to emit an emergency signal. He looked at Ocelot for permission, fearful of possibly interrupting something.

"Go ahead." Ocelot growled, clearly annoyed at having his show interrupted.

The guard put the receiver on his ear and listened for a second before looking over at Ocelot, who gazed at the scene in front of him, oblivious to the guard and his phone. "Sir… Sir, it- it's for you." The man muttered nervously, now beginning to sweat.

Ocelot gave the man a dirty and impatient look. "What is it?" He growled. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

"He says it's important sir. I'm sorry." With that, he cautiously held the radio phone out towards his superior officer. The other men looked at the officer as if he had a death wish.

Ocelot looked at the man icily for a second before snatching the phone roughly and growling into the earpiece. "What is it? This better be important."

"SIR!" A frightened and panicky voice shouted on the other end.

Ocelot blinked and frowned. "What is it?"

"ARRGHH!" One of his soldiers screamed. Ocelot turned to see one of his two guards stand up in shock as he clutched his profusely bleeding lip.

Ellone had bitten his mouth when he had gone in to kiss her. She spat at the piece of skin still in her mouth, some of his blood now on her lips. Despite her weak state, she looked up at with some satisfaction and a small triumphant look on her face.

"Wha- What was that!" The man over the radio shouted with fear.

"None of your business soldier." Ocelot replied coldly, as he observed the scene in front of him.

"You fucking bitch!" The guard yelled before he kicked Ellone in the face roughly, knocking several teeth out across the floor.

Ocelot smiled and noticed the other guards attempt to join in on beating her when he raised his hand signaling them to stand back. He turned his attention back to the radio and roughly shouted, "Well!"

The man on the other end caught his breath for a moment before speaking frantically once more. "In the mech room. So- something happened in the mech room. We went to check-" He took another moment to catch his breath as Ocelot gazed at the men and Ellone uncertainly. "We had a report from some soldiers from division fourteen, unit three, wh- who were in there. Only a few of them came back."

"What do you mean a few of them?" Ocelot growled into the phone once more, his patience wearing thin. The guards at the side listened attentively to him while the ones dealing with Ellone paid no attention.

"They had an encounter with an intruder." The man on the other end panted.

Ocelot frowned even further. "An intruder? How do they know? Did they do anything to stop him?"

"Sir we went back to check bec- because they just wouldn't tell us what exactly happened." Silence followed for a moment as Ocelot now listened intently to what the man was about to say. "We went back and there were over twenty bodies sir. Twenty bodies of units one and two from division fourteen just dead all over the place."

"What! Over twenty?" Ocelot turned around and walked away from the grunting of the men on Ellone so he could hear better. "What are you talking about soldier?"

"Sir…" The man spoke more calmly now. "We sent in a small task force to see what had happened and the entire place was covered with blood and they weren't just dead. Some didn- didn't have the- their heads."

Ocelot thought for a moment. "What did-"

"Sir that wasn't it." The soldier cut him off. "We just stepped in and saw the scene, when he appeared. He- he can't be human. He was moving too fast. No one can move that fast!"

"What did he look like?" Ocelot shouted into the radio.

"I- I don't know. He was moving too fast. He killed the entire team we sent in. No one wants to go back in there sir!"

With that, Ocelot ended the conversation angrily and dialed in another frequency on the radio.

A heavily accented and deep voice spoke up on the other end. "What is it? This better be important."

"Liquid." Ocelot began, "There's been a situation or so I've heard, in the lower eastern mechanical room. They say-"

"I know."

"You know already?" Ocelot asked, slightly surprised. A beeping noise began emitting from the phone indicating an incoming call.

"Of course. I'll deal with it. You worry about the codes old man." Liquid's voice was more arrogant than even Ocelot's as he spoke through the receiver.

"Liquid…" Ocelot spoke up before Liquid could end the conversation. "You don't suppose the chances are that Solid Snake is here do you?"

"Snake!" Liquid shouted mockingly into the radio. "Don't make me laugh." A chilling, short laughter ensued before it was cut off abruptly from the other side by Liquid himself as the conversation ended.

Ocelot dialed in the frequency for the incoming call. "Yes!" He was beginning to become irritated.

"Colonel!" The voice of another soldier sounded. This time, it seemed to be coming from outside as the sound of the howling wind could be heard drowning out his voice. "We found the possible target via 'drop by descent'!

"And?"

"We successfully neutralized the problem and took care of the target!" The voice was barely audible over the piercing winds despite the soldier shouting on the other end.

"What about other possible intruders?" Ocelot thought it might be possibly be linked to the incident that just occurred.

"No sir, there were none!"

"You checked then, and made sure?" Ocelot was skeptical. "You swept the area?"

"No sir, we didn't. One of our soldiers fell ill!"

Ocelot stared at the wall in front of him in disbelief. Words could not explain the amount of boiling anger rising within him at the soldier's weakness and incompetence, as well as the stupidity of the commanding officer for not bothering to sweep the area despite a sick soldier. Ocelot inhaled and exhaled deeply, calming himself down for a moment. "Alright, I want you to come meet me in the main fourth basement lobby hall and bring the soldier with you, understand?"

"Yes sir!" Came the reply.

Ocelot shut off the radio and went back to the group of soldiers and the two who had finished with Ellone and were kicking her lightly, mocking her further. "That's enough!" He shouted.

The two soldiers looked up at him in confusion and fear, surprised by his sudden change in attitude. They stepped back and rejoined him at his sides.

Ocelot glared at the other soldiers to the side and then down to the further bloodied Ellone, who was now making a weak attempt to sit up. It appeared as if she had run out of tears. "Shut off the camera." Ocelot ordered to his guards before approaching her.

"Yes sir!" One shouted as he shut off the camera at the wall.

Ocelot knelt down to her level as she looked at him with tear soaked eyes. He grabbed her face roughly with his right hand and squeezed hard, causing her to cry out further in pain. "Did you order anyone to come here for a 'search and rescue'? Did you?"

When she didn't answer but simply continued to make small whimpering noises, Ocelot stood up and struck her powerfully on the side of her face with the back of his hand. He lifted her up by the hair violently as she let out a painful moan, the mascara now running everywhere on her face, mixing in with the blood and tears. He slapped her again with his right hand as she fell back and violently hit the metal flooring, too weak to let out much of a cry of pain.

From behind, Ocelot heard the sound of the elevator doors at the end of the hall opening, immediately followed by the sound of several sets of footsteps as he glared at Ellone. The sound of the footsteps stopped right behind him.

"Sir? We're here to report that we neutralized the problem and dealt with the possible intrusion but we had one of our men hold us back. He's right here if you wanted to deal with him sir." The voice belonged to the soldier he had talked to on the radio who had been outside earlier.

Ocelot turned around and his eyes immediately fell on a soldier dressed in arctic attire being held by two other shoulders as if he was unable to stand up. He then looked at the captain ahead of the group. "I'll deal with him in a minute. Standby." He turned around and stepped forward towards Ellone.

Ocelot hadhad enough of her. Playtime was over.

* * *

He watched from a shadow in the corridor, completely hidden away thanks to the absence of light and the dark color of his suit. The man on the radio had probably told Ocelot he had killed over twenty of the soldiers in that room.

He hadn't killed over twenty. Could that idiot not count? He had killed exactly 31 soldiers. He had kept count. That was far more than 'over twenty'.

He continued to watch with no emotion as the President's daughter was sexually abused and assaulted. Normally, perhaps in a different time, he would have done something and come to her aid but this called for a different scenario. That wasn't his purpose and he knew it.

Sacrifices had to be made by some in order for others to progress and in this case, she was the sacrifice.

He snapped out of his slight reverie when he heard the doors of the elevators open and four men walk out. He remained perfectly still and in crouching position as he spotted two guards carrying one of their own, and what he assumed to be a commanding officer ahead of them, walk forward. They approached Ocelot and his men, stopping just short of him as he continued to inflict pain and punishment on the woman who was now practically beaten to a bloody pulp.

He heard the commanding officer address Ocelot, who turned around and surveyed the men for a moment before turning back around and striking the woman once more.

Without warning, Ocelot struck the President's daughter with the handle of his gun the next time around, putting a new definition to the term: 'pistol-whipping'. The sickening crack of her skull was loud and practically echoed off the silent walls, reaching him in an instant. He saw the guards standing at the side visibly wince but he remained still, completely unaffected by what transpired.

The next moment was surprising even to him however, as Ocelot and the commanding officer exchanged some words before Ocelot unexpectedly shot him down, causing all the guards in the area to jump and look at him in fear. His eyes traced Ocelot's as they fell on the soldier being held by the two guards.

He cocked his head to the side as he quickly studied the guard while Ocelot stepped closer to him, saying something to him. There was something about him that he couldn't quite put his finger on at the moment.

Realizing that Ocelot was about to shoot the guard himself, and sensing the perfect opportunity himself, he swiftly moved across the corridor and through the shadows, inching closer to the unit.

He could have sworn that the soldier in custody spotted him at that moment.

* * *

**Author's Notes: I felt that with the way I left the story hanging so long without an update in months, I at least owed it to the few readers I have to add another chapter following the previous one. Despite the quickness of the update, writing this chapter itself took longer than the rest. I hope you like it.**


	6. Enter: Revolver Ocelot

**ENTER REVOLVER OCELOT**

_You're so cold  
__Keep your hand in mine  
__Wise men wonder while  
__Strong men die _

**So Cold **by **Breaking Benjamin**

Time.

A constant like no other, with complete disregard for its surroundings. It either took you along with it, wrapping itself around you like an invisible blanket, or left you behind, sweeping out from underneath and catching you by complete surprise. If there was one thing to rely on in the ever changing environment and populace, it was the inability of time to be reliable, for it was merciful to none.

Squall's pupils were dilated and various different emotions swirled within. The storm inside was raging and existed in a chaotic state, making his grey eyes burn with intensity. The pupils held the reflection of one Revolver Ocelot, grinning in sadistic manner, about to inevitably strike.

Squall had been out of action for too long and had not anticipated this. His body did the last thing it should have in a moment like this: it froze. It seemed that three years of inactivity had rendered the once unfazed soldier completely cold. This cold feeling however, was an unwelcome and uncomfortable one.

He felt his muscles tense to the degree that they replicated the feeling of being out in the snow far past their threshold. His veins felt as if they were being injected with ice water as his entire body froze over, with only his mind now partially intact, performing quick, sporadic calculations. His pupils began to increase and decrease in size. He stood rooted to his spot, unable, no matter how hard he tried, to take action, for his body was completely numb, losing all of its motor functions at the moment.

'Move!' He cried out to himself, attempting to will any part of his body into take action.

Time was not about to be very forgiving to Squall. It was about to cut the tenure of his life at approximately one-third of its natural length short and yet Squall did not completely find this extremely startling or all that depressing when he considered it.

His miserable existence could indeed be cut short and the death would truly serve as more of a gift than a disaster, freeing him from all his sins and the guilt that continued to weigh down and press on him more and more with each passing day.

The twenty seven year old fighter, now feeling far past his prime, began to shut the door to his eyes, hiding his pupils and cutting off their interaction with the outside world.

'I'm sorry Snake.' He thought with a hint of sadness. It was a bittersweet and dull moment of content, marking the end of a tragic and plagued story. But his pupils refused to be shut out without one last glance of the precious world and its tasteful surroundings. At that, they keenly spotted the faint but unmistakable outline of a figure off in a corner to the left of Ocelot and the guards.

"_Never succumb to the pressure. Once you do, you can never get out. You never escape it."_

The words rocked throughout his body, jolting him awake and sending a chill that sought to overcome the current one taking hold of it, replacing the initial foreign icy feeling with a far more recognizable one.

And so once more, his pupils were released from the confines of the eyelid and were treated again to the spectacular scene in front of them, about to unfold. The familiar feeling of adrenaline kicked in once more as the welcoming blanket of ice wrapped around him, returning him to his natural calm state.

Ocelot caught the sign of an intense spark flashing through Squall's eyes and reached for his revolver with almost blurring speed.

Squall was equal to match his pace, releasing himself, much to the shock of the two guards holding him, by stepping off the floor and increasing his weight exertion on the two soldiers as purposely dropped himself. As Squall fell and the two men desperately tried to hold on to their own balance, he wrapped each arm around the rear of either man's head and with a quick thrust, produced two sickening cracks as the necks of the guards shot downward along with him, rendering them lifeless.

Just as he fell, he produced a swift sweep kick with his right foot at Ocelot's left shin, eliciting a short cry of pain from the older gunman, buying Squall some time.

Ocelot grimaced for a moment, before his face contorted into a scowl and his eyes locked menacingly with those of Squall, his face continuing to be hidden underneath the white balaclava. The SARC operative took several steps back on the injured shin and pulled out his revolver as Squall sprang to his feet, in a semi crouching position.

Both he and Ocelot knew that the odds were stacked against him as the remaining six guards drew their weapons, ready to introduce Squall to a large serving of tasty lead.

Acting quickly as Ocelot took aim, he dashed to an unprepared guard to his close right and wrapped himself behind him, holding him in hostage position as he drew out his silenced tactical .45 with his right hand, positioning it to the head of the now wide eyed captive.

In order to ensure the guard would not try anything, Squall then kicked the man in the back of the left knee with such force that he sent his kneecap out, causing the fibula to protrude slightly outwards. He then cupped his left hand over the man's mouth, muffling his screams and cries of pain as the other guards looked on in shock and disgust.

"Try it." He threatened to the others, his voice a low growl as he daringly locked eyes once more with the now smirking Ocelot, the other guards positioning themselves cautiously with wide eyes, around him, attempting to circle around Squall.

Squall continued to take several steps back, spacing himself out and away from the opposition, his eyes darting around quickly, looking for a means of escape.

Ocelot was truly impressed with the calmness and the fluidness the man before him displayed, acting so quickly and executing in great fashion. He had suspected that he was the intruder from the beginning but had dared not underestimate him for that was the grand flaw one could make.

Letting pride and ego get the best of oneself was the ultimate path to his or her downfall and Ocelot abided by that rule as if it were religion. It would be this underestimation that the man in front displayed towards Ocelot, which would lead to his own demise.

Ocelot raised his weapon as Squall took more cautious steps backing, shielding himself behind the large man's body further, and attempting to narrow the target scope Ocelot had on him.

"I said try it!" Squall threatened once more, his voice higher this time as he felt the guard in his grasp trembling from the fear and pain.

Ocelot merely responded by firing a shot at the head of the guard being held captive, immediately killing him and splattering blood in front of Squall, who now stood motionless for a brief second, quite shocked at Ocelot's lack of compassion for his own comrade.

'Shit.' Full realization of the severity of the situation now dawned on Squall as he found himself nowhere near any exit or place of cover aside from the dead man in his arm, whose weight began to drag him down as his body began to slump towards the earth.

As if on cue, several quick shots rang out from a corner in the room, cleanly finding their way to four of the six guards accompanying Ocelot. The men fell instantly to the floor with heavy thuds, their white arctic attire now marred with the red taint of blood slowly seeping through the clothing.

Now it was Ocelot's turn to look slightly stunned as he turned to stare at the direction of the incoming shots and drew back instantly towards the elevator, wasting no time to find cover.

Squall dropped the deceased man and took advantage of the two stunned guards, firing half a dozen shots into both men. His instincts and reflexes kicked in as he dropped forward, sliding on his side against the cold, smooth metal floor as he evaded a shot from Ocelot's revolver.

The older man very briefly took his eyes off the sliding Squall as they frantically searched the corners ahead of him for any signs of the second shooter. Time seemed to slow down for the moment, as he took in his surroundings for what seemed like several seconds when in actuality, the entire visual sweep took no more than one. Finding nothing, Ocelot fired one more shot towards Squall, grazing him in the left leg as he dove into a corridor for safety.

Ocelot backed away to the elevator and pushed the button, his senses on high alert as his eyes flickered between the corridor Squall was in and the ends of the hall where the mystery shooter had fired from. His gun was raised and ready and he had one shot left before having to reload. Never one to underestimate his opponent, he knew that Squall was aware of this fact as well.

Squall was indeed aware of the fact that Ocelot's Single Action Colt Army revolver contained one more bullet. The chamber held exactly six at a time and Ocelot had foolishly wasted five, two on the initial guard he had killed when walking in.

Breathing heavily from the first exhilarating rush experienced in over three years, he quickly surveyed where the bullet had hit and noticed that it had torn only part of the outer arctic attire, making no contact with his skin or thermal sneak suit.

He listened quietly over the loud thumping of his heart for any signs of Ocelot reloading his weapon. The Single Action Colt was a noisy and heavy weapon that made up for its impracticality with its powerful caliber bullets and high muzzle velocity.

"You only have one shot Ocelot." Squall's voice stood out and seemed to boom through the now empty hallways as Ocelot took aim at the corridor, half expecting Squall to emerge.

"Do you want to gamble?" Ocelot shot back. "Why don't you come out and take your chances?" The elevator was approaching.

Squall's heartbeat was frantic because aside from Ocelot, there was the matter of a second shooter within close proximity and as much as he did not want to admit it, a small part of him had the sinking feeling that it could have possibly been Seifer. Pushing the troubling thoughts aside, Squall's finger was on the trigger as he clutched the silenced .45 tightly.

He peered out from the corridor covertly, just in time to hear the doors of the elevator open as Ocelot slid through them, the familiar smirk present on his face once more. Squall ran out in full form and fired several shots at the closing door as Ocelot merely dodged them, but not before waving mockingly at his opponent as the heavily reinforced metal doors shut.

Squall turned around sharply, clutching the gun in with both hands raised to eye level. He carefully strafed, checking for signs of the mystery shooter. Scanning the dark corridors, Squall was apprehensive in approaching the shadows. His muscles were tense and his reflexes on high alert, prepared for any possible hostile strike.

"Floor C4." A raspy voice whispered far to his left.

Squall immediately turned towards the voice, his heart pace quickening drastically. He carefully took several steps towards the dark corridor, his eyes moving around at a blistering pace, trying to take in every possible surrounding all at once.

"Identify yourself!" Squall shouted. Despite his agitated state, his voice was unwavering and held extreme confidence.

"He went to C4." The raspy and haunting voice spoke once again, this time seeming to come from behind him, in the corridor opposite.

'What the hell?' Squall was beginning to become more unsure of himself and his opponent. His eyes were searching furiously, for any signs of the individual but to no avail.

"Take the second elevator and go to C4 or he'll get away." This time, the voice seemed to almost fade as it spoke those words, coming from far down at the other end of the hall.

Squall strafed backwards towards the adjacent elevator, his eyes and weapon locked forward towards the place where he last heard the voice. Upon feeling the hard surface of the metal doors for the elevator, Squall pushed the call button behind him as he remained stationary, gazing straight ahead.

For the forty seconds it took the elevator to arrive, it felt like an eternity to Squall, who never blinked once as the liquid in his eyes began to dry out. His corneas began to burn from the lack of fluid as he refused to blink for fear of missing any opportunity he might have had of spotting the mystery man.

The chime from the elevator door immediately brought him back down to earth, away from his concentrated state as he blinked and turned around quickly, waiting for the doors to open.

The metal doors parted, revealing a similarly dressed soldier stationed inside, carrying a CAR-15 assault rifle. The soldier seemed startled upon spotting Squall, who immediately brought his silenced pistol towards the man's face, getting the better of him as his rifle was pointed to the side.

"You try anything, I end you right here and no one will know." Squall threatened, his eyes intense and burning with fire. He noticed the man attempt to position his rifle. "Put the rifle down, Now!"

The man began to raise both arms, including the one carrying the rifle slowly, as he gazed with unusual calmness at him. "Please don't… I have a wife. This is just a job I'm hired to do." His quivering voice betrayed his confident poise.

"Drop the weapon, now." Squall stated, more calmly this time.

The man shook his head slowly, appearing troubled with his current predicament. Squall snarled and moved quickly, with no time for the guard to react. He took one step forward and put his other foot behind the man, tripping him immediately as he grabbed the man's head with both hands, pistol still in one, and snapped his neck with a sick twist.

The man collapsed with a thud and Squall moved quickly, pulling him and throwing him out of the elevator in cold fashion as he stepped in with the newly acquired rifle as the doors shut. Squall cast one last glance down the hallway before the metal doors took away his view.

The elevator was a dull brownish color and was spacious enough to fit in twenty people. Squall looked at the panel and noticed the floors beginning at M, then increasing in ascending alphabetical order, with each letter increasing in numerical order from one to nine.

His brows furrowed as he noticed the floors went all the way to E1. 'How deep is this place?'

Squall pushed the C4 button and got into a crouch as he gratefully tore off the balaclava, exposing his flesh to the cold chill around him. He embraced it as he shut his eyes momentarily, taking in the biting air. He tapped behind his ear, the familiar tingling and static distortion surfacing once more within his eardrum.

"Acid? Is everything alright?" Quistis spoke with a concerned voice.

"Quistis, I'm fine, put Snake on."

"What happened? We thought we lost you." Snake's voice bellowed.

"I got in. Listen, I got in."

"What the hell happened? Why did it take you so long to contact us?"

"I ran into Ocelot."

Snake froze for a moment, staring at the diagram of the facility from within the headquarters, with Quistis in front of him, monitoring Squall's voice patterns and logging his conversation.

The older man exhaled heavily, running a rough hand over his grizzled face. "Are you sure it was him?"

"Snake, I was face to face with him." Squall let out, slightly annoyed at having been second guessed.

"How the hell did that happen?" Came the incredulous cry.

"Never mind. Listen, I got news. I saw the President's daughter. She was being held captive by Ocelot." Squall began, feeling a slight bit of remorse, but quickly shaking it off.

Snake's eyes shot up. "And? Is she alright?"

"She's dead Snake." Squall didn't hesitate in proclaiming the news. "Ocelot killed her."

Snake turned away from the monitors and paced several feet away, his head low and his eyes closed. From behind, he heard the soft cries of Quistis, doing her best to contain herself as the tears spilled.

Squall heard muffled cries through the codec and knew that it had to be Quistis. "Quistis are you crying?" Squall snarled, anger and impatience taking hold of him.

Quistis made every attempt to recover her composure but couldn't, unable to comprehend the death of a woman she had met before and grown to admire. "I- I'm sorry." She choked through a sob. "I used to know her…"

"Cut it out!" Squall fired back sharply. He was being harsh and he didn't care. "You're a professional and in this line of work, you either handle it or you don't!" He lectured. "If you can't get yourself together, find another job!"

His words stung Quistis like a great burn from a soldering iron. She stared at the monitor in disbelief with fresh tears in her eyes as his vocal patterns spiked all over the place, showcasing the anger in his voice. "How can you be so cold?" She softly whispered in a wavering voice.

* * *

"_How can you be so cold?"_

_Squall stopped fixing his shirt as he turned from the mirror to stare at an angry looking Rinoa. "What are you talking about?" He asked nonchalantly._

_The 5'5" raven haired woman walked up to him, her hands balled into fists as Squall stared at her amusedly. "Are you smiling?" She yelled, clearly not amused herself._

"_No." Squall frowned, any trace of a smirk disappearing immediately as he brushed past her and towards the bathroom._

_Rinoa turned around at his retreating form and glared at him angrily. "Are you even listening to me! Would you stop for a second and talk to me!"_

_Squall bared his teeth and rolled his eyes, frowning as he muttered a curse under his breath and turned around to face her. "What? What the fuck is it?" His voice was slightly higher than its usual monotonous tone._

_Rinoa's eyes sparkled and lit up as she smiled at him bitterly, positioning her hands on her hips. "Well, it's nice to see some emotion finally come out from the stoic Squall Leonhart. A little anger, I'll take it."_

_Squall walked up to her, towering over the defiant woman who refused to budge. "You really like to push me huh?" He was calm once more, whatever emotion that had seeped through a moment ago had inched its way back into him, locking itself up._

_Rinoa studied Squall's expressionless eyes with her own passionate ones. "Why are you like this?" She now whispered softly, as she reached a hand up to caress his cheek._

_Squall instantly pulled away from the touch. "Don't." With that, he turned, giving Rinoa his back as he trudged towards the bathroom once more, pulling out his toothbrush and applying paste to it._

_Squall looked up at the mirror and saw Rinoa's reflection, outside the door to the bathroom. She was staring at him with a aching expression, tears threatening to spill. Her eyes sparkled brilliantly from the bathroom lighting as the moist drops trickled down her cheeks. He watched her silently for a moment through the mirror with a slight frown on his face as the two gazed intensely at one another without any words being exchanged. Rinoa waited and continued to do so, for any sign of action from Squall as the tears silently dropped to the floor. _

_Squall tore his gaze away from her and locked eyes with his own figure as he put the toothbrush in his mouth and began to brush his teeth._

_

* * *

_

Squall snapped out of his reverie as he shook himself from his thoughts. He could still hear the soft cries of the woman over the codec. "Look, this job is tough and from it, come a lot of cruelties. Circumstances just appear and you have to expect them. You can't open yourself up for any surprises at this point." He paused and awaited any response from Quistis. When he didn't get any, he spoke up once more. "Snake? There's something else."

The older man walked back up to Quistis, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder and rubbing it. "I'm here. Go on, what is it?"

There was a brief silence before Squall spoke. "I think I ran across Seifer."

Quistis stopped crying and looked up as Snake frowned and took a step forward. "What do you mean 'think'?

Squall was studying a top corner of the elevator, becoming increasingly suspicious of a possible camera spying on him. "I didn't actually see him. He or someone, intervened when I met Ocelot."

"What happened?" Snake asked.

At that exact moment, the power to the elevator died as the humming sound of it moving ceased, and Squall was engulfed in absolute darkness. "Shit." Squall muttered.

"What the hell happened?" Snake asked a second time around, this time for an entirely different reason.

"I think they found me." Squall stated, activating a tiny wrist light and pointing it up towards a flashing red light in the corner. Without hesitation, he fired expertly at the hidden camera, drawing a series of sparks as the red light disappeared.

"Where are you now?"

Squall shone the light at the panel, the electronic reading now dead. "I was past B8, but I'm not sure how far down I am exactly."

"Acid." Quistis cut in, now regaining her composure. "There's an override card equipped in your suit, it should be in the inner left side pant pocket.

Squall cursed at the arctic gear embodying his sneak suit. He began to undress from his outer clothing, shedding himself free in the comfortableness of his adaptable thermal suit. Squall felt around inside the inner thigh area and sure enough, a protruding and small metal object was there.

Snatching it out from its harness, Squall stared at it with the tiny light in amazement. "Thanks Quistis…" He stated hesitantly, feeling slightly awkward after having snapped at her moments earlier.

"A good technician prepares for any case scenario." Her voice came through the codec, clear once more.

Squall approached the panel and was about to open the switchbox when the lights instantly came back on, causing him to squint for a moment as his pupils shrunk. In the next second, the elevator began to descend once more as Squall felt his weight drop for a moment. He peered at the electronic display and suspiciously glanced at the electronic reading indicating the destination of the elevator: C4.

"What the fuck…" He breathed out, barely coherent.

"What the hell was that?" Snake's low voice came through the codec, questioning.

Squall studied the surroundings of the elevator. "The elevator, it just started back up by itself."

Quistis peered up at Snake uncertainly as the older man rolled his tongue inside his mouth in question. "Where are you headed?"

"C4."

Snake did not find any amusement in that all. "Where are you headed?" He repeated again, this time more anxious.

Squall stared at the panel once more, this time, a slight look of anger plastered across his face for being second guessed once more. "I fucking told you, C4!" The elevator reading was now in the C section. Only then did it dawn on Squall, who was never one to fall prey to simple traps like this. "Fuck."

"Fuck is right!" Snake shouted through the codec, his eyes now wide and nervous. "Get out of there now!"

Squall didn't need to be told twice. He looked up and spotted the hatch on the roof. Without a moment's hesitation, he shot at the lock to it as it fell open. Stealing a final glance at the electronic display, he saw it just begin to pass C2 as it approached C3.

Putting his weapon away, Squall thrust himself upward and out of the hatch, using the full extent of his biceps and then triceps to escape the inside. He stood up, as the elevator continued to descend slowly and quickly bent down to pull up the hatch once more, clinging on to it with all the force he could muster, his muscles tightening all around as his body tensed up and he held his breath. The elevator stopped and the doors chimed open below as Squall turned his face away from the door and shut his eyes tightly.

There was a thunderous explosion from underneath, rocking the entire elevator, mimicking a fairly respectable earthquake. Squall braced himself and hung on tight as he slid around, the elevator violently rocking back and forth, putting extreme tension on the cords holding it.

Squall felt the metal hatch he so desperately clung on to expand as it seemed to bend towards him from the compressed heat inside. The next instant produced a painful cry from the brown haired soldier as the rapidly increasing heat passed through the conducting metal and transferred through his thermal gloves, scorching his hands.

The feeling of scalding hot water on one's body was comparable to the pain he experienced as he unwillingly let go of the warped metal hatch, the explosion inside holding it in place, wanting to push it outwards further past its limits. Squall shook around in pain, bouncing around madly as the elevator continued to rock back and forth similar to an untamed bull attempting to get the rodeo rider off its saddle.

He looked around in pain as the rumble from the explosion continued on underneath, with only six inches of metal protecting his figure, keeping it from becoming a scorched piece of meat. He couldn't grip anything at the moment as he shut his eyes tightly in pain and clenched his teeth tightly, attempting to will away the searing heat.

It was then that the elevator cord finally snapped, no longer able to withstand the fast changing tension from all the violent rocking. The elevator began to pick up speed as it descended and Squall began to feel more and more weightless. He could see the remains of the flames descend from above instantly after having passed the C4 level, lighting up his eyes as the entire shaft grew brighter and brighter, the heat from the exothermic reaction continuing to spread in an orange blaze of fury.

'This is it? I die in an elevator shaft?' He questioned his ability as an operative, succeeding on so many levels previously, only to fail now in the simplest of places.

As if fate itself wanted to continue on with his torture and play cruel games with him, the elevator unexpectedly and abruptly stopped with him crashing into it with great force.

"Arrgh." Squall let out a low growl of pain, arching his back as he rolled to his side slowly and stared up above in panic, to notice the flames approaching, producing a loud rumble. His eyelids were heavy and he was aching and suffocating from the extreme heat.

Squall attempted to push himself up and do something before exhaustion took over his body and racing mind, giving way to darkness as he slipped unconscious.

* * *

Squall weakly opened his eyelids, his pupils adjusting to the dark. He lifted his head warily as he attempted to shake the throbbing, dull sensation overtaking him. He sat up, with his hands still in pain from the previous incident but no longer was it unbearable. He stared questioningly at his surroundings.

He was outside the elevator now and was in what appeared to be an empty warehouse, with great column supports up everywhere and stacks of metal crates and boxes littered all over the area. The place resembled an underground parking lot, but with far less lighting.

Squall turned to look at the elevator shaft to his left. The doors were open but the inside of the shaft was dark and empty, like an abyss. His mind was racing, but no longer from the migraine sustained. Feeling the familiar quickened pace of his heart once more, Squall shot up instantly and groaned from the weak state his body was in. He checked himself and much to his relief, found his silenced .45 Tactical still strapped to its harness. Wasting no time, he pulled out the trusty weapon and strafed quietly to a pile of crates, crouching and peering around discreetly.

Tapping the rear of his ear, the static once again sounded before Quistis' voice came on the line. "Acid?" She asked, her tone sounding worried.

"Yeah… Yeah I'm fine." He coughed quietly for a moment, clearing his throat. "Put Snake on."

"You alright?" The older man asked.

"Fuck, the elevator was rigged. They planted C4 in there. Sonnuva bitch." He coughed some more, clearing his lungs from all the smoke he had inhaled earlier.

"But you made it out okay?" Snake was worried despite his calm voice.

"I don't know what happened. I was falling and the flames were coming down then I blacked out."

"What?" Snake cried, disbelieving.

"I… I'm not sure what happened but I just woke up in this dark storage floor. Not sure what's here but there are piles and piles of crates all shapes and sizes everywhere."

"How did you get out of the elevator?" Snake was worried but not because of Squall's safety, he was concerned about compromising the entire mission should Squall be captured.

"Someone must've pulled me out right before the whole thing lit up." Squall stated obviously, his mind frantically contemplating what had transpired. His eyes continued to search the darkness before landing on the unmistakable sight of several deceased bodies of soldiers off to a distance. "What the fuck…?"

"You can't get yourself caught or this whole thing will be for shit." Snake lectured. "We need to find out what happened and who got you out but for now, your main priority and task is to locate the President."

"Snake, some of the infantry, they're down here but they're dead." Squall stood up and quietly but swiftly shuffled over to the fallen bodies, using the crates for cover in case of a possible attack. He approached and grimaced at the sight as the thick smell of blood invaded his nose.

There were five of them in total and all of them seemed to have undergone serious organ removal transplants, without having any stitching done to patch them up. Some appeared to have their entire backside ripped open by what had to be a blade while others were torn in the front, exposing their insides.

One man had his spleen removed and was sickeningly clutching on to it with both arms as his lifeless eyes were wide open, staring up into nothingness, with his mouth frozen in a state of shock. A second man had had his intestines pulled out and wrapped around the neck of another, whose lungs had been deeply pierced by a sharp object.

Squall turned away and fell back, sliding down against one of the metal crates. He tapped his ear once more. "Quistis?"

"No, it's me."

"Snake, the soldiers are dead but it looks like someone wanted to completely rework their organs. These guys insides are all cut up and ripped straight out."

Quistis paled as Snake stared with repugnance. "Acid, be on extreme high alert. I want you to be aware of a third party presence, and yes…" He paused for a moment. "It could be Seifer."

Squall nodded to himself, soaking the information in, yet unable to believe that even his old comrade was capable of something like this. "I feel like shit from that fall."

Snake looked down at Quistis who merely nodded. "Acid," She began, "I'm going to activate the nanomachines we injected into you, they should repair any interior torn tissues to some degree at least. But you're going to need the rest of your wounds looked at later on."

"Thanks Quistis." Squall replied, somewhat still fazed from the accumulation of all the events leading up to now. With that, he felt an unpleasant and nauseating feeling making its way throughout his body as he doubled over, clenching his teeth. "I take it those are the nanomachines?" He snarled, quite uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry, this will only take a few minutes and you'll get used to it after that. They're traveling around, filtering your blood and knitting any internal torn tissue."

Squall stood up weakly, clutching on to the crate for support as he inhaled and exhaled deeply, already beginning to feel slightly better.

"Who knew that they would send the infamous Acid Snake here of all places?" Ocelot's familiar, sadistic voice rang out throughout the area, causing Squall to turn in all directions in search of him. "I would've thought that you were far too good to waste your time coming to a place like this."

"Ocelot is here. I'm out." Squall terminated the codec call and readied his silenced weapon, inserting a fresh new clip as he stayed low, using the shadows to his advantage, carefully moving around the area.

"Where is your pal Solid?" Ocelot's voice seemed to be coming from all directions. "Send you out to do the dirty work?"

"He didn't want to waste his time with a useless waste of air like yourself." Squall shot back menacingly, continuing his careful search. The lack of light in the area was not helping.

Ocelot let out a hoarse laugh that seemed to fill the entire area. "That was a neat little escape back there hmm? Just like your mentor, you two don't know when to just die."

"Show yourself old man."

"Where would the fun in that be?" Ocelot moved out of a pile of crates, well camouflaged, holding his revolver steady as his eyes ran over a dark silhouette several tens of meters off in the distance. He smirked as he trudged forward quietly, his other hand over the microphone transmitter that sent his voice bouncing all over. "Part of the thrill is in the chase and the hunt itself. Wouldn't you agree? You have to build up tension and anticipation before you get to the main course of the meal."

Squall ducked and got into a crouch. He shut his eyes as he felt the tingling sensation in his ears. "What is it?" He whispered.

"Acid, Quistis detected a heat signature and it's coming off to the northwest of your current position." Snake paused. "Be careful, he only needs to aim once."

With that, the codec call ended as Squall stood up, turning to face the direction Ocelot was in. His eyes focused as he concentrated hard and strafed far to the left, disappearing behind several rows of crates.

Ocelot continued to move forward in the direction he had last seen Squall before ducking. "I just love being in the heat of the moment, don't you? It's quite the rush and makes me feel young again." He chuckled aloud, his laugh bouncing all over the place.

Squall had learned to throw his voice although he could not replicate the degree of success Ocelot had with his transmitter. "Old men like you need all the help they can get."

Ocelot moved towards the sound of the destination, his boots moving quietly. He came out into the clearing expecting Squall but found nothing. "What?" He muttered, obviously confused.

Squall came out from behind and fired, the explosion of the bullets in the chamber muffled by the silencer. Ocelot ducked and flew to the corner behind a pile of boxes as Squall stood up and followed carefully, his eyes trained ahead.

"Very nice Acid. Very nice." Ocelot shouted with a hint of condescending manner, no longer using the transmitter. "I see the old man has been teaching you his tricks."

Squall came up and peered around the corner firing a shot, just as Ocelot crossed into another corner, barely evading the shot aimed for his torso. Squall began to tiptoe as he decreased his speed, his eyes on full alert, rapidly firing glances everywhere.

The older man carefully peered around a corner, searching for the younger operative. Spotting nothing, he swiftly shuffled across the crates to another side, rounding another corner as he peered down a long alley with more boxes stacked along either side.

Squall could have used the nightvision at this particular moment but the green illumination would give him away and with a man of Ocelot's caliber, he could not afford the risk. The nanomachines were working feverishly as he felt more and more energetic. 'What the fuck are they doing?' It was as if he were being injected with phencyclidine, his body slightly feeling high yet numb from any pain he had experienced earlier.

Ocelot caught sight of his opponent's outline once more through a stack of crates and rushed quietly around, saving his shot, to get a better line of sight. He made it around but was not quick enough with his stealthy pace, as Squall rounded the corner before he could target him. Ocelot proceeded forward, hot on the heels of the younger man, who seemed oblivious to Ocelot's whereabouts at the moment.

Squall stopped and pressed his rear up against the cold metal of a large container. He listened attentively as he could have sworn there was the light rustling of footsteps behind him. Both arms shot up as he stepped to his left, his fingers itching to pull the trigger as he waited patiently, the familiar cold rush seeping through him once more, calming his nerves from their agitated state.

Ocelot was right around the bend and waited, his finger clutching the trigger of his revolver as he sensed Squall's presence in the opening. Taking a quick breath, he jumped out and was immediately met with the sounds of several silenced bullets whizzing by as Squall fired with grim determination.

The younger man stayed focused as he began to move side to side, firing continuously while Ocelot twirled several times behind another stack of cartons.

"Ocelot, show yourself." Squall commanded.

"As you wish." The gun wielder replied, a sinister smirk on his face as he stepped out quickly, firing three rounds at Squall, not giving him enough time to react.

Squall had never imagined the older man to move so quickly and efficiently, only displaying this ability now, and being caught by total surprise as a result of it. He moved as fast as humanly possible, which wasn't enough as two bullets dug deep into his left shoulder, eliciting a grunt of pain as the third just missed the right of his trapezius muscle. The entry of the lead tore into his flesh with ease as his face contorted into a grimace. He fired back with his right hand as Ocelot moved like the wind and hid behind the safety of the crates to the opposite side now.

"Tsk, tsk." Ocelot reprimanded mockingly. "Such an impatient shooter."

Squall blocked out the throbbing and hot pain in his shoulder as he focused straight ahead, his gun cocked and ready. His muscles were on fast twitch response and he was stationary.

Ocelot waited a moment, reloading the chamber with fresh new bullets and spinning it shut. Taking another deep breath of air, he spun out into the open once more, ejecting two more rounds at Squall, who was ready this time as he dodged just as quickly as Ocelot had moments earlier, and fired off multiple shots at his adversary in return.

The older gunman spun quickly, evading the array of bullets that soundlessly breezed through the air. He heard the tearing of material and hid once more, in the opposing side. Looking down, he lifted up the bottom of his trench coat, noticing a bullet hole. "Congratulations, you managed to ruin a perfectly good coat." He snarled as he reloaded his weapon once more.

Squall was not amused as he moved forward, reloading his own clip and closing the gap between them as he approached the corner. He moved far to his left as he approached the right corner, for a better vantage point. Ocelot was ready and came out firing hard.

The light of the bullets exiting the revolver's chamber lit up the area as sparks were emitted from the bullets ricocheting off the metal containers. Squall squinted and fired, running around to his side as fast as possible as Ocelot lined up and fired his final of the six shots, directly connecting with Squall's Tactical.

"Fuck." Squall growled, feeling his weapon fly out of his hands and slip across the floor behind him. Ocelot glanced at him in satisfaction and wasted no time reloading his weapon as Squall raced to get his gun, being far closer to it than Ocelot.

The older man had his prey in sight and grinned nefariously when a sudden explosion of thunderous noise filled the entire area as flash of bright but wispy light shot towards Ocelot, who took several staggering steps back and fired at the unknown light.

Squall watched in amazement, frozen in his spot as the light manifested into the body of an armored individual and it stepped up and past Ocelot with tremendous blinding speed, emitting the sounds of a jet as it took to a far end of the section before disappearing entirely. He was snapped out of his stupor when he heard Ocelot let out a cry of tremendous pain. Squall's eyes, even in the dark, spotted the profusely flowing blood coming from Ocelot's right arm.

The gunman stared down at his hand in horror, or what was left of it as half of his forearm had been sliced clean off, lying on the floor below with the pool of his own blood surrounding it. Wasting no time, he bent down to pick up his disembodied arm, which was still tightly clutching to his revolver as he began to run for an escape route across the opposite end of the area. "You'll pay for this!" He shouted tumultuously as he faded into the darkness.

Squall's mind raced as he raced for his weapon and picked it up, moving in every which direction, looking for any signs of the mysterious aggressor. All the pain he was experiencing at the moment immediately washed away temporarily as his neural functions were all focused on the scene that had just unfolded.

Several minutes of silence passed before Squall let his guard down momentarily. He knelt down on one knee and kept his eyes open as he activated the codec. "Snake, something just happened…"

**

* * *

**

Author's Notes: For those who picked up on it, the Ocelot scene was a tribute to the actual one in MGS when Grey Fox chopped his arm off. Hope you enjoyed this one.


	7. Origins: Vapor Snake

**ORIGINS: VAPOR SNAKE**

_And I feel my skin's just a shell,  
__Underneath is my reality.  
__I breathe dimensions unknown,  
__It conquers my mortality._

**Vapor **by **Skillet**

Liquid's footsteps pounded heavily across the metal grid plating of the cold floor. He paused, waiting for the automatic sliding metal doors to part. Entering, he dragged his heavy brown coat across his feet as he came to a stop behind a small bald man operating a series of security cameras, scanning the multiple screens across the wall. The large guard to Liquid's right stood by and remained silent.

The blonde haired Snake stepped forward and towered over the seated bald man, one in his late forties easily. "What happened?" Liquid's thick accent made the guard shudder.

The bald man turned around, his clean shaven face stricken with panic as his dark beady eyes gazed into those of the SARC leader. "There's been a breach in the eastern portion of A1. The guards opened fire on someone but no new news yet."

"Same person from the mechanical room earlier?" Liquid was quiet but his voice held a tone of irritation and impatience. His cold eyes swirled, the dimness in the room making them stand out and burn holes through the security man.

"It's hard to say, we're not getting visuals on anyone." The guard replied in an agitated tone. He began to visibly pale and become more and more stiff as Liquid studied him quietly, his eyes mirroring those of a wolf set on hunting its prey. The man shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he broke eye contact with his superior, unable to tolerate his piercing gaze further.

Liquid spoke darkly, in a very slow tone. "Then what do we pay you for?" His facial expression was serious to an extreme and his eyes petrifying.

The man looked up, all the color drained from his face as he audibly swallowed once. "I'm sorry sir, whoever he or they are, they're doing a good job of getting past our line of sight but our crew is doing everything possible to get a visual." His voice was slightly wavering.

Liquid turned to look at his guard once, a man standing at 6'5" and well over 280 lbs of heavy muscle mass. He gazed at him quietly for a moment before turning back to the camera guard. "You said you had something to show me."

"Yes sir." The security guard seemed relieved to be changing the subject. "We did grab a visual of someone using a mid section elevator. With that, he pressed a button from his large pad and activated multiple screens, combining to form a large one.

Liquid looked straight ahead, studying an elevator containing a standard guard on patrol. His eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms over his chest and waited.

The elevator doors opened and the guard inside seemed to be caught off guard, beginning to shake his head slowly as he raised his arms in defense. Liquid's interest perked up as a similarly dressed soldier entered quickly, with stunning speed and snapped the guard's neck. He worked quickly, throwing the other man out as he stepped inside.

"Who is he?" Liquid asked, his calculating eyes never leaving the screens.

"We were hoping you'd be able to identify him sir. We're not sure entirely."

He glared maliciously at the back of the guard's head for a brief moment and then continued to watch the screen as the soldier removed the white balaclava, exposing his face. Liquid's mouth slightly dipped open as he stared in wonder and disbelief, his body all of a sudden losing all its warmth. The familiar blue bandana was wrapped around the man's short hair and fell behind into two ribbons. From the angled point of view, it was hard to judge whether it was truly Solid Snake or not.

The man was on one knee and had a hand on his ear. Liquid swallowed and rubbed his eyes with two fingers furiously, unable to comprehend what he was witnessing. He looked back up again and sure enough, the man was still visible on the screen. In the next moment, the entire visual went dark and Liquid stared with furrowed brows.

"What happened?" He barked impatiently.

"The elevator died at this point sir." Theguard's voicewavered slightly.

Liquid lifted an eyebrow and turned to glance at the guard to his side impatiently before turning back. "What caused the malfunction?"

"We- we're not sure sir." The man's voice cracked somewhat from fear and hesitation. "But there's more." He quickly added, sensing his superior's rising anger.

Liquid saw a tiny light activated on the screen as it was shone directly at the camera, giving him one last look at the man in question before the camera was shot at, the screen now producing nothing but static.

The SARC leader turned, a contemplative look on his face for moment before he locked eyes with his muscular guard. "Raijin." He stated simply as he began to walk out. His phone began to ring and he pulled it out as he stepped outside.

The dark haired, brown eyed man with the very short cut stepped up behind the security guard, who turned around. There was a look of extreme fear painted across his face as if he knew these would be his final breaths. His eyes watered and sparkled in the dim light as he let out a weak and silent cry before two powerful hands were cupped around his neck as he was forcefully lifted off his seat. His feet dangled loosely as Raijin held him up to eye level by the neck at first, then pushed him up higher, his shoes now a good two feet in the air.

The guard choked and let out desperate gasping and gurgling noises, his face turning an unhealthy shade of red and then slowly to purple. Feet thrashed and kicked around violently, sometimes hitting the larger man in the shins or thighs but having no effect. Raijin's arms continued to wrap tightly around the man's neck, slowly draining the life away from him as the guard weakly clasped his own smaller hands around the large ones, in a desperate but futile attempt to free himself. A tiny trail of warm blood escaped the guard's mouth and dribbled down his chin, onto Raijin's wrists as he continued to apply force on his neck.

Raijin's lips were pursed but his expression was completely sterile, devoid of any emotion as his cold eyes stared into the strained red ones of the guard, blood filling around the corneas. Several more violent choking sounds ensued as the man thrashed around powerfully one final time before letting out a hoarse gasp and cough, falling completely still.

His arms dropped heavily to his side as his head dipped forward.

The large soldier violently chucked the smaller man onto the floor with powerful force, producing a sickening thud as his body bounced up from the blow and fell once more, now completely still. Snatching a white cloth from his back pocket, the muscular man proceeded to wipe his bloodied wrists as he despicably kicked the lifeless guard at a table leg before exiting the room.

Liquid was waiting outside, his arms still crossed over his chest. As soon as Raijin fell in step with him, he began walking, staring straight ahead with a slight frown. "That was Snake you're aware?"

"Yes sir." The large soldier replied emotionlessly, betraying the excitement contained within.

"I just received a call that he's on C4, engaged with Ocelot. That senile prick does everything without informing us."

Raijin looked over to his superior, whose face continued to gaze blankly ahead. He stopped and turned to face him, a serious expression plastered on his face. "You go down to C4 and sweep the area for Snake."

"And if he's there?"

"Then you engage him but leave him alive. I'll be down shortly." With that, Liquid brushed his large coat to the side as he took long, powerful strides down the metal corridor, flipping on his phone before disappearing around a corner. He wasn't sure if it was Solid Snake for his brother wasn't dumb enough to try something this suicidal at his current age but he had learned to never underestimate him again after their encounters in the past.

* * *

"Look for an escape. Get to the President." Snake spoke through the codec. "Be on the alert for this intruder, he could be from another division or unit."

Squall was well hidden behind a stack of crates and boxes in the same area, his senses on full alert as he spoke quietly. "Can Quistis upload any schematics of the area so I can get a sense of where I can move."

"Sure Acid." Quistis' voice cut in.

"Hey," He began in a low voice, letting out a short sigh, "can I ask you a personal question?"

"Uh, sure…" Quistis seemed taken aback, completely not expecting the all-business Squall to speak of anything unrelated to the mission.

"When did you get on the FOXHOUND telecommunications squad? What happened to Xu?"

Quistis was about to reply when Snake cut in. "Acid, Xu was killed. Quistis has been here for two and a half years."

There was short silence before Squall spoke up. "How? What? She was alive right before I left. When did she die?" He was never close to the woman but had respected her air of professionalism and her sharp advice from time to time.

"Well," Snake began, seeming hesitant as if the subject slightly bothered him, "Xu was discovered dead in her apartment one night when she didn't report to HQ. I believe it was just a few weeks after you left FOXHOUND."

"Did they find out who did it and what the motive was?" Squall was genuinely curious.

"No." Snake shook his head, despite Squall being unable to see him. "The cause was never discovered but shortly after she died, we hired a fresh face out of GIT."

"Galbadia Institute?" Squall was surprised. "Quistis?"

"No, someone else. Her name was Angela Collie and she excelled in communications and the use of nano technology. Top of her class, field and division. Never seen anyone like her before. The codec you're using now is a modified version enhanced by her." Snake seemed constrained when he spoke.

"What happened?" Curiosity was getting the better of Squall, having never heard any of this for he had been imprisoned.

Snake sighed as he stepped away from Quistis, whose interest had peaked as well, having been oblivious to the incident herself. "We caught her stealing data from our archives."

Squall frowned. "Was she a spy? Transmitting them to Galbadia any chance?"

"We're not entirely sure but she didn't extract any important mission files or even touch our security plans."

"What the hell was she after then?" Squall blinked several times, his eyes narrowed.

"She was after mechanical and electrical plans of our weaponry and armor. She'd always been curious when it came to gizmos and gadgets."

"So what happened?" Squall stared straight ahead as he could have sworn he heard footsteps echoing in the area.

"Well, when we detained and questioned her, she claimed that she was simply looking for ways to improve on them." Snake paused as if reflecting on it all, a hint of pain evident in his voice. "So she-" He paused once more, with Quistis looking on, "she killed herself when we refused to release her. Somehow, she managed to swipe a gun from one of our men and finished herself then and there." Snake closed his eyes, as if relieving the memory. "Shame."

Squall appeared thoughtful for a moment before he heard the footsteps, more audibly this time, prompting him to stand up slowly as he began to check the area. "I got company."

"Get out of there, now." Snake commanded in an authoritative voice. "Your first priority is to locate the President."

Squall shut off the codec and as he strafed across the dark floor, hiding and falling into a crouch behind a large stack of disorganized crates.

The footsteps seemed to increase in noise exponentially as they neared, before coming to a halt a close distance away. Squall peered up over the crates, his head barely exposed as his trained eyes fell on the outline of a large man. The man seemed to turn towards his direction, immediately causing him to drop quietly behind the safety of the crates, as he readied his silenced pistol.

"Well, aren't you going to come out and introduce yourself?" The deep masculine voice seemed to boom and resonate throughout the entire floor. "Come on Snake, I won't bite."

Squall rose cautiously and in an instant, had his weapon locked and aimed at the man who stood over ten meters away, with only the crates separating them. "Put your hands up. Hands in the air! Now!" He snarled, as he stepped aside the crates and took several quick strides forward, bringing the man into view under the extremely dim lighting conditions.

The large, brown haired soldier grinned faintly, his eyes narrowed as he studied Squall for a brief moment before his grin faded completely, replaced by a confused frown. "You- you're not Solid Snake…" He whispered loudly, more so to himself.

"Congratulations on that revelation. Now put your hands up!" Squall shouted impatiently, his low voice also booming in the large, relatively empty floor. He cocked his weapon and took a threatening step forward, pointing it directly at the larger man's head.

Raijin's eyes widened slightly as he raised his arms slowly. The confused expression was replaced by one of quick anger before it gave way to a stoic expression. "Wait, I know who you are…" A slight grin etched its way back, his hands still partly up in the air.

"Oh yeah?" Squall played along, feigning interest as he cocked his head to the side.

"It's you." Raijin began, pointing a right finger from his raised hand at him. "You're Acid Snake aren't you?" He then nodded as if assuring himself, his smile breaking out even wider. "Yeah, it is you."

Squall nodded once, his head angled and his face deathly serious with eyes wide open, containing no emotion. "In the flesh."

Raijin snorted softly. "I guess the old guy just doesn't have it in him anymore. Figures they'd send in his lackey." He shook his head as if to show his disappointment. "Kind of a shame, I was looking forward to a brush up my skills against a supposed legend."

Squall chuckled bitterly. "Pretty full of yourself there big boy."

Raijin's amused expression slipped away as his face also now held a serious countenance. "Why don't you try your hand in a little fist fight there? I've heard about you and your so called exploits. Why not put that gun away and fight me like a man, _hero_?" The last word had been directed towards Squall in the form of a sneer.

Squall chuckled once more, his eyes narrowed and his aim steadied. He shook his head slowly several times. "I don't think so big man. Down on your knees now." He motioned with his pistol.

Raijin held his ground, his arms still up. "If I'm pretty full of myself, then this shouldn't be a problem, should it," he paused for a brief second, "bitch?"

Squall's calm look never faltered as he lowered his gun to his side and clipped it back onto its holster by the thigh. His eyes continued to remain locked onto his opponent's.

Raijin nodded twice, bringing his large arms down. "Let's do this." He spoke loudly, a look of anger taking hold as he ripped off the top half of his military gear and discarded it onto the floor, leaving him bare-chested and dressed in only his arctic camo pants and boots.

The dim light perfectly brought out his toned upper body and ripped muscles, displaying the contours all across as he side stepped and cracked his neck to the side both ways before balling his hands into massive fists, bringing them up in a natural boxing position.

Squall took one step back and immediately studied the readied fighter. His stance was orthodox, indicating that he was right handed. Squall's quick eyes finished calculating the scene as he brought his right food forward, adopting the southpaw stance.

Raijin appeared timid for a brief moment, blinking profusely before regaining his composure. Spitting on the floor, he shot forward aggressively and closed within striking range of Squall, immediately releasing a blinding left jab followed instantly by a powerful right cross.

Squall, who had been caught by complete surprise at the agility and quickness displayed by the large man, reacted with no time to spare, slipping past the quick left and parrying the right as he launched himself to the left side and back, giving himself some room.

'Fuck.' He thought, readying himself once more.

Raijin grunted and came hard once again, his height giving him a clear advantage over the six foot Squall. The FOXHOUND operative parried yet another powerful right cross that sent him back a half foot, before he slipped under an ensuing left jab. The next blow came with no time to think as Squall was unexpectedly caught in the left side of the jaw with a blazing heavy left hook, fazing him.

His vision momentarily blurred, Squall somersaulted back, giving himself ample space while Raijin rotated his shoulders several times as he approached, his guard up and ready. Squall stared down briefly at the larger man's footwork, consisting of a wide array of sophisticated sweeps and shuffles. Looking back up, his eyes narrowed as he inhaled a large breath of cold air through his nose and adopted the southpaw style once more. Nodding, he beckoned for his large opponent to approach.

Raijin moved his neck side to side quickly as he closed in, trying to confuse Squall as he continued to shuffle his feet at a rapid pace. He closed distance once more and threw a quick and powerful right cross, but stopping midway as Squall prepared to slip past it, ducking his head towards the right. Raijin smirked, reading his foe's defensive maneuver and smoothly made the transition from a cross to a powerful left hook.

Squall, much to the larger man's surprise, reacted with stunning speed, not only evading the cross, but deflecting the hook with his left fist, leaving Raijin's left midsection exposed briefly. Without hesitation, Squall threw a devastating low chop straight into the oblique of the large soldier, eliciting a heavy and painful grunt, and sending him staggering back several steps.

Raijin glared at his opponent venomously, anger boiling up inside. He spat at the floor once again with a look of pure contempt in his eyes as he nodded. "Alright, I see how this is." He moved forward once more, this time at a more cautious pace as he rotated his shoulder and moved his neck side to side in confusing fashion with Squall's trained eyes following his every move.

Raijin threw another quick high left jab, coming down at Squall's right shoulder but followed that up immediately with a surprising forward rush, grabbing Squall's left, and what he assumed was the dominant, wrist with his right hand and tightly clenching his right shoulder with the left. The two men's eyes briefly met within the close proximity as Raijin's evil glare stared back into the surprised expression of the shorter man.

Tucking his head and chest in, Raijin attempted to deliver a lethal body slam into his opponent, in hopes of sending him across the floor. In the split second that it took him to pull back and ready himself for a gain of powerful momentum, Squall immediately clicked into high gear, surpassing the larger man's agility and reflexes by shrugging his right shoulder free and twirling around to the left and towards the rear of his enemy. His left wrist was still being clutched by the right hand of his opponent's.

Raijin shot forward, hitting nothing but air and came to an abrupt halt, his body now in an awkward position as he was left vulnerable. Without thinking, he instinctively turned his neck to his right to glance down at Squall, whose wrist he still had a grasp of.

The move proved to be a mistake as a swift, gloved open palm exploded towards his face with blinding speed in the form of an uppercut, connecting with snout of his nose and pushing upward with great force and velocity. A short but sharp cry of pain rang out over the silence. The pain was excruciating and Raijin instantly felt light headed and stunned, recognizing that his nose had in fact been broken. Liquid formed in between his eyes as his tear ducts had burst from the impact, blurring his vision.

As Squall had expected, Raijin immediately released his painfully tight hold on his wrist and fell back, slightly stumbling before coming to a halt and shaking his head vigorously, trying to rid himself of the pain. He began to make slight gagging noises and coughed violently, spitting out large quantities of blood as more dribbled down his face in a sea of crimson red from his broken nose.

Squall watched with slight amusement as he coolly rubbed his left wrist while his eyes remained on the man ahead. "That metallic taste in your mouth, it's not the blood; it's spinal fluid leaking from up top in your head." He chuckled at the brief look of fear plastered across Raijin's face before it was replaced with one of pure hate.

The bloodied soldier raced forward, no longer intent on being cautious or taking and apprehensive approach as he went on a full offensive strike, throwing an wide array of jabs, crosses and hooks in between, all either parried or completely dodged by Squall who held his composure while the pain rushed throughout Raijin's head, his own concentration beginning to dip.

Pulling the entirety of his left body back, Raijin threw the weight of his right body forward, along with an extended right shoulder and arm. The large fist cut through the air with searing speed and would be undetectable by any professional fighter no matter the circumstances.

A loud slapping sound was heard as his fist was met full on by an open right palm of Squall's, who pulled the extended arm towards himself and wasted no time as his own left hand clasped around the wrist of the larger man's, producing a death-like vice grip. Squall squeezed with his thumb at a pressure point located on the wrist, drawing a scream of pain from Raijin, who shut his eyes and threw his head back for a brief moment,moaning loudly through clenched teeth.

The brief moment was all Squall needed as he moved forward and threw a heavy right fist straight into the exposed neck of the burly man.

A sickening crack was heard and the loud cries of pain abruptly came to a halt as Raijin's entire neck seemed to slightly move backwards from its attached position. The brown haired man brought his head forward in a bobbing motion, his eyelids wide open but his eyes completely rolled into the back of his head. The jaw hung loosely as the blood began to flow more freely and soon, turned into a waterfall of red as it splattered all across the floor by his feet.

Squall released the hold on Raijin's wrist and stepped back as the large man came forward, dropping heavily to his knees into the pool of blood, remaining momentarily balanced in that position before a large boot from the smaller man connected against his forehead with astounding force, sending him backwards. Raijin fell with a heavy thud onto the cold, hard floor, the last sound produced by his body.

Squall took one quick final glance at the deceased man before turning around and taking a step away when several ensuing clapping noises from up above brought him to an abrupt halt.

Acting purely on reflex and instinct, without even thinking, Squall rolled to the side, covering himself behind one simple crate as he expertly pulled out his .45 USP Tactical and aimed straight up, towards a dimly lit metal catwalk.

In all his time on this particular floor, only now did he come to notice the existence of the large catwalk, stretching all across the floor as it split in many directions, parts of it hidden by the high stacks of crates in the area. It stood approximately twenty five feet above the floor and was supported by metal beams coming down from the ceiling and plates for flooring.

Up ahead, from maybe a distance of forty feet, Squall was able to make out a figure along with several others by his side even in the dim light. A single light on the catwalk floor was turned on, directly beneath the unit, now giving Squall a full clear view of who he had his weapon pointed at.

The frantic beating sound of his own heart that he had heard only a moment ago now seemed to disappear as his body stood rigid, his eyes frozen as they remained locked on the leading figure of the pack.

There he stood, unmistakable in his trademark beige trench coat: his bare chest exposed, with his long blonde hair slicked back, several guards occupying his sides. The lights from below cast eerie shadows across the man's entire figure, making him appear far more menacing than usual.

Liquid Snake applied a smirk on his face as he gripped the rails with both hands, leaning forward slightly. "Well, well, well… So we finally meet. The legendary Acid Snake himself." His voice boomed, far louder than Raijin's, his thick accent resonating all throughout the area. The height from which he stood certainly helped accomplish the effect as well.

"Fucking hell…" Squall breathed out inaudibly, his gun tightly clenched with both hands as it aimed straight ahead.

"If I were you, I'd put the gun down. I'm not here to shoot first and ask questions later. What kind of tactician would I be then hmm?" Liquid chuckled briefly, pointing to the men surrounding him, indicating the automatic assault rifles they housed, which were conveniently pointed towards Squall. When the young brunette made no move and held his position, Liquid continued. "I must admit, I was hoping they would send dear old brother here for a family reunion but I guess the old man really doesn't have it in him after all does he?" He shouted the last bit, releasing a piercing and chilling laugh that filled the surrounding air.

"Fuck you Liquid!" Squall snarled back, finally regaining his confidence as he ducked further to expose himself less.

The SARC leader, seemingly unfazed by the comment, ceased his laughter as he gazed down at Squall with another smirk. "I am intrigued however, that they sent you. Part of me has secretly been hoping to at last meet the prodigious successor of Solid." He paused momentarily, examining Squall. "And here you are…"

"That's right," Squall shot back menacingly, further covering himself, "here I am."

Liquid smiled. "You've got a nasty streak. I like that. Just like the old man himself." He trailed off for a second, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Squall returned it with a bemused look. "Liquid-" He began loudly.

The older Snake cut him off immediately, waving his hand across the air. "Just what do you and your FOXHOUND tool wish to accomplish here you idiot? You really think that you stand any chance here? We've been monitoring you and have been aware of your presence the whole time. Who the fuck do you take us for!" Liquid was now furious, his eyes even at distance, sparkling with violent intent."

"Just what the fuck do you plan to accomplish here Liquid!" Squall barked back. "When word gets out and this becomes deemed a class 1 national crisis, you think people are going to sit around and do nothing? You think your ridiculous plan will work, you simple fuck!"

Liquid's angry expression turned completely sterile as he raised his head up high, his eyes never leaving Squall's however, as they hauntingly stared down at the young operative. "You have the audacity to call me simple?" He spoke quietly at first. "You're an insult to the Snake line. Both you and Solid are inferior, worthless excuses for a soldier. And you call me simple!" He roared at the top of his voice.

Squall bravely replied. "If I recall correctly, he wasn't the one who lost here in Trabia sixteen years ago. Was he inferior then, Liquid?" He spat the last word out in a mocking and condescending manner. "If he was, what does that then make you?"

Liquid's eyes were unwavering as they slightly widened from the sharp criticism. Squall detected that the words had stung and braced himself for the reaction. Liquid's callous demeanor gave way to a wide, but fake looking grin. The older Snake chuckled softly to himself, along to the rest of his men as he turned away from Squall, with his back now facing him.

Squall immediately ducked for cover behind the metal crate and as if on cue, a large, wide line of gunfire exploded towards his direction, lighting up the surroundings as the bullets emitted a variety of noises from ricocheting off different surfaces all across. "Damnit!" Squall snarled as he kept himself low.

"Stop." Liquid commanded after several seconds, raising his right hand up in the air. "You have to understand Acid," he spoke calmly once more with a powerful voice, "Solid is the past and will always remain in the past and you, you're the present but not for long. And I…" He paused before roaring, "I'm the future!"

"No!" A voice that made Liquid's appear as if it were a squeak rocked throughout the air, causing Squall and the guards to wince from the deafening sound. "_I'm_ the past, present, and future!"

The surrounding area exploded into a brilliant flash of intense white light, causing all but Squall to shield their eyes. It was similar and nearly exact to the white light that had appeared earlier during his duel with Ocelot, and was followed immediately by that familiar deafening high powered, roaring jet sound. Squall felt the frantic beating of his heart once more as he peered to the side of the crate from the floor in an attempt to get a better visual at what was transpiring.

Up on the catwalk, to Squall's right, standing a distance of forty feet away from Liquid and his men on the other side, was a dark caped figure clad in full figure, dark grey colored metal armor. A dark face plate mask sealed the identity of the individual as a black hood covered the rest of the helmet, giving the mystery man the look of a grim reaper. From where he lay, it was hard for Squall to notice much else at the moment.

Liquid Snake brought his hand from his eyes down as the white light slowly dissipated like a fog around the caped individual. "What the fuck is the meaning of this!" He growled out in rage across the catwalk, his men readying their weapons and aiming at the unknown intruder. Squall could do nothing but watch in fascination from his secluded spot.

"Your time is up old man. You're weak like the rest." The caped individual's chilling voice rocked the area and was deep and metallic. It was hollow sounding and seemed synthesized as if it were being voiced through a voice modification transmitter.

Liquid did his best to hide his confusion and apparent discomfort as his familiar smirk resurfaced. It clearly appeared completely forced as his shaky men held their position at his request, their own nervousness showing. "Interesting attire. You look like a robot out of a comic book."

The masked individual shot back immediately in the powerful, deafening metallic voice. "I'm glad you approve old man."

"Old man?" Liquid laughed. "And what do I have the pleasure of calling you?"

"I'm a Snake, like you."

At this, Liquid's brows formed a deep scowl as he stopped laughing and stared back disbelievingly. "You!" He retorted angrily. "You? A Snake! You have some nerve to go around calling yourself Snake you fraud!"

It was hard to discern the mysterious individual's facial expression, hidden behind the inanimate metal face plate. But it was only now that the figure turned slightly towards Squall, revealing the mask further. It was simple, with no decorations whatsoever, as it resembled a blank sheet of rusted grey metal, with two, bright white horizontal slits several inches wide by one inch long substituting as eyes for the face plate. It truly did appear as if the costume was something out of a horror movie.

"You can call me Vapor Snake." The metallic, loud hollow voice spoke through the mask once more.

"Original and clever. I like it!" Liquid shouted across mockingly, crossing his arms over his chest and nodding to himself, his confidence genuinely appearing to have returned once more. "Could you not have come up with something more interesting than that?"

"Laugh." The masked figure began in hollow voice, echoes bouncing all around the area. "Laugh until you bleed."

As the cryptic words left the figure's mouth, a wispy trail of grey smoke surrounded all around, forming a whirlwind around the suit, making it disappear from view. The wispy smoke gradually grew brighter as it intensified into a bright white light once more, with the screeching sounds jet sounds surfacing as well. Squall covered his ears from the ear-splitting noise.

Liquid, shouting over top his lungs and the explosive noise, gave orders to his guards. "Fire! Commence fire!" He immediately moved back, partly shielding his eyes from the burning white as the guards all stepped forward, creating a barrier and unleashing bullets from their rifles at will.

The trail of bright gunfire emitted from numerous weapons streaked across the catwalk like strings in a harp or guitar. As brilliant as the illuminations of the bullets and the exploding gunpowder were, they were no match for the white light that shot forward with numbing speed at that exact moment, zigzagging in confusing patterns across the catwalk. The sheet of white light sped towards the panic stricken guards, who all let out cries of anguish that were immediately drowned out over the jet noise.

Liquid's eyes shot wide open, the full severity of the situation hitting him straight on as he desperately swung himself over the rail at the last second and jumped down a full twenty five feet, landing hard on the hard floor. He expertly rolled across several times, his body absorbing the majority of the impact and rushed up to his feet smoothly. Liquid immediately took off in large quick strides, down a dark portion of the floor, beginning to disappear from sight.

Squall, who had been caught in a daze of fascination through all of this, had his motor functions return to him as he rolled across the floor on his back and stomach and pointed his weapon straight at the fast retreating SARC terrorist, opening his own fire, the bullets ringing out through the air. The lead projectiles sailed towards the disappearing targeted and it was hard to tell from the distance whether they had made contact or not but Squall guessed that he had failed.

"Damn." He cursed aloud, temporarily forgetting what stood above on the catwalk.

A sinister, loud and hoarse chuckle sounded from up top, drawing Squall's attention immediately to it. The sound was reminiscent of a deep and thunderous raspy cough in a way. Squall's face contorted into one of rage and anger as he stared up for a moment before it gave way to a look of slight shock and disbelief.

Up on the catwalk, exactly where the guards had stood moments earlier, lay the bodies of several mutilated men, the decay of rotting flesh now slowly spilling into the air, with blood leaking through the metal grid plating and dripping down in multiple droplets on the floor below. The men lay lifelessly as they appeared to have severe cuts throughout all parts of their body from what Squall could tell. It was as if they had been torn to pieces through a sharp object.

Squall immediately aimed his Tactical at the dark masked figure standing over the bodies and opened fire, releasing two bullets before the clip emptied.

The figure reacted with flashing speed, arms sweeping across as they deflected the two bullets, one across each way. Squall slid quickly and hid for cover, immediately beginning to reload a fresh clip as his racing heart pounded heavily.

"Don't waste your time fool!" The haunting metallic voice rang throughout.

Squall was behind the protection of the same crate. "Just what the fuck are you?"

"I'm the future of warfare and weaponry. The ultimate soldier. The perfect Snake. Vapor Snake."

"Perfect Snake huh? Liquid was right. Sound like a cheap rip-off to me."

The hoarse laughter filled Squall's surroundings once more before dying down. "Acid, don't tell me you don't recognize me? Has it really been that long?"

From behind the crate, Squall's eyes widened considerably as he let out a breath he had been holding. "That's fucking impossible." Realization dawned upon him. "That's fucking impossible!" He shouted audibly this time, over the box.

A raspy metallic chuckle ensued. "Come on now, don't you remember your old pal? We are, or were friends after all, weren't we!" The voice shouted mockingly.

"Seifer!" Squall shouted with rage, coming out and unleashing fire on his opponent up top.

A raucous laughter began, with Vapor's arms moving at a dizzying rate, deflecting everything coming in their way. Squall, finding his efforts in vain, ceased firing as he drew back and threw himself behind the crate a third time.

"Oh Acid, you insult my intelligence with this garbage. Please calm yourself down."

"Seifer!" Squall screamed over the side. "What the fuck is wrong with you! What happened to you, you sick fuck!"

"Stop calling me that!" The masked figure shouted with thunderous rage, the words rocking the area. "The name's clear! Vapor!"

"Is that what this is all about then huh!" Squall's heart was continually pounding. "You're a joke if you think you're deserving of the Snake title."

"I'm ten times the Snake any of you are or ever will be, you sad excuses for men!"

"I get it…" Squall calmed down, his voice still audible but far lower. "You could never strive to achieve what we could so you went nuts. That's perfect. I can't believe all this is because you couldn't stand being second fiddle to someone."

"Fool, you don't know anything!" That was the last straw as a bright white light engulfed the entire area, causing Squall to tightly shut his eyes as the roar of jet engines surrounded him as well.

He opened his eyes moments later, the noise abruptly dying down and the light disappearing, leaving his eyes to adjust to the darkness once more. The only sound now was that of his heart as it thudded alongside his chest. Peering out over the crate, Squall found the catwalk empty, save aside for the deceased bodies of the soldiers.

He cautiously moved out, scanning the area frantically with wide eyes as his weapon moved all around in his tightly clenched fingers, looking for any signs of the hostile enemy.

After several minutes, having found nothing, Squall drew in a breath of air, now filled with stench of blood and kneeled down on one knee, his eyes still alert. He placed his fingers behind his right ear and felt the prickling sensation and the sound of static appear once more.

"Acid?" Snake's voice was sharp.

"Snake, we have a situation. I just saw Liquid and Seifer." It was as blunt as it could get.

It was too much for Snake to handle all at once as the initial shock registered. "Whoa, whoa. Slow down. What the hell happened?"

"What the fuck did I just tell you!" Squall shouted irritably.

"When? What happened?" Snake was beginning to become agitated as Quistis looked on quietly with worry.

"Right now, in the same floor I was at with Ocelot earlier." Squall breathed once more, shutting his eyes momentarily. "Fuck, Seifer's really alive and Liquid was just standing there…" He trailed off, not able to take all of this in so soon as well.

"Acid. Acid, listen to me! Calm down and breathe for a moment. Now tell me what happened." Snake's voice was calm and steady once more.

"It- it was dark and then I saw Liquid and some guards up on a catwalk above."

"What did he say?" Snake questioned.

"Nothing importantly really, but then Seifer came." Squall paused.

Snake frowned and awaited further explanation. When none came, he spoke. "What happened with Seifer?"

"I don't know. I mean, he wasn't the same. He came in sporting a full gear of some serious looking armor. Full face mask, full plated suited. From head to toe."

Snake looked forward with confusion. "Then how do you know it was him?"

"Trust me." Squall spoke confidently. "It was him. I Know. Some things you just know." He frowned to himself before continuing, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up all of a sudden as an uneasy feeling spread throughout his body. "Snake he's packing some fucking serious firepower. High tech suit. I don't know what the fuck he's done to himself."

"What happened with Liquid?"

"Liquid took off. Seifer killed all the guards." Squall still held a tone of disbelief as he spoke.

"Every single one?" Snake cried in disbelief.

"Every single one. He called himself Vapor Snake. What the hell is that all about? He moves like it too." The last sentence was ushered as a whisper.

"Vapor Snake?" Snake stood up, shaking his head with an angry frown, Quistis looking more nervous by the minute. "What the hell do you mean moves like it?"

"He moves like it." Squall repeated. "Like vapor. He disappears and reappears like a wisp of light." He felt a cold sensation rush throughout his body as he slowly surveyed his surroundings uneasily.

"Listen to me, Acid get-"

Squall didn't hear the last bit as he immediately released his hand from his ear, terminating the call abruptly. He jumped over the crate and dove a distance away just seconds before the screeching sound of a small rocket sounded as it visibly appeared, with a small trail of smoke behind it. The projectile plunged right into the floor where he had been laying two seconds earlier, resulting in a furious explosion, the entire area lighting like a great campfire, shadows dancing all across the various stacked crates.

Squall flew even further from the force of the explosion as he was pushed across the floor, slightly hovering, sliding briefly before coming to a halt. He gazed at himself, patting his body furiously all across to check for any signs of sustained injuries. Upon finding none and no damage to his suit, he sharplycranedhis neck towards the sounds of heavy boots thudding across the floor.

Squall glared with rage in his eyes before widening as they fell upon an impressive sight before him. "Holy shit…"

* * *

**Author's Notes: Relatively quick update, by my standards. At long last! The introduction of Vapor Snake for anyone who has impatiently been waiting. This chapter was fun to write and is a pivotal one to the rest of the story. For those who still aren't clear on the visual for Vapor, picture Dr. Doom but with a black cape and a darker shade of grey for the plate armor and that's your reference. It's not exactly the same but similar to that. Guesses as to who shot at Squall? Coming up next chapter.**

**Extra Note: I've re-edited this chapter and modified it slightly. My friend, the overly demanding bastard that he is, was displeased with the material and so I tightened the dialogue, fixed some errors, and made a major change to the character Squall fights. I feel it's better now personally. Sorry for the inconvenience. Let me know what you think.**


	8. Enter: Vulcan Raven

**ENTER: VULCAN RAVEN**

_I've got no patience for this, your philosophy's twist,  
And messed my mind up,  
I've known truth, and it's face,  
It's the cruelest embrace, and you think you've taste it _

**Dust To Gold **by **The Tea Party**

The man was unlike any other Squall had ever seen; truly a sight to behold. Carrying an RPG-29 mobile rocket launcher on his broad left shoulder, he walked slowly, taking a few final heavy steps and stopped, a distance of maybe fifty feet now separating the two men. To say that the man was massive was an understatement. He made even the greatest of bodybuilders seem like dwarves in comparison.

Standing at 7'8" and weighing in at over 495 lbs of solid, dense muscle mass, Vulcan Raven was a truly terrifying and spectacular sight for any opponent. He wore nothing but heavy black leather boots with large soles and dark, urban camo pants that both must have been custom made to fit his monstrous proportions. The top portion of his body was completely bare, revealing his excessively large upper muscles. A large strap was slung across his right shoulder, extending down diagonally across his chest and towards his left hip. It seemed to be carrying an overly large metal contraption mounted behind on his back, although from the distance, Squall couldn't be sure of what it was.

"I apologize for the rude interruption." Squall was quiet. "So, here we are. Where's your friend?" Raven's voice as expected, was amazingly deep and loud, moving across the entire floor effortlessly.

"We're not friends and I don't know where he went." Squall answered, standing up cautiously and casually brushing himself off, his eyes never leaving the now empty RPG-29 on Raven's gigantic shoulder.

"So it's just us two then?" Although his voice was powerful, it contained a soft melody to it that was rare for someone so large. With that, Raven removed the pad and tossed it effortlessly, several meters to his left.

Squall gazed uncertainly at the large man, his body ready to react and move out of the way in case of anything. "That's right."

Raven's large brown eyes stared back with great emotion for a moment before finally blinking. The large man nodded once. "Good, as it should be. Men are made true warriors and put to the test when they fight with honor. There's no honor when more parties are involved. Me versus you: this is honor."

Squall's icy blue eyes gazed ahead quizzically as Raven moved forward slowly, stopping forty feet shy of him. "So, you're Vulcan Raven." It was a remark, more than a question.

Raven nodded humbly, bowing his head and waist slightly. When he came up, he spoke silently. "Don't you understand that Snakes don't belong in Trabia, especially those that sting? They're poisonous to their surroundings."

"Where did you hear that?" Squall gazed at his opponent with slight interest. There was more to the large man than simply brawns it appeared.

"I've studied it. Snakes aren't meant for this arctic climate. It's far too hostile. Out here, they can't sustain themselves. Am I right?" Raven's facial expression suggested that he was truly speaking from the heart, finding no amusement in his own words.

"You are. But there are always exceptions to the rules."

Raven closed his eyes momentarily, appearing to meditate. "Yes." He opened them once more, great emotion contained within. "But the Snake is interfering with the calm tranquility of this beautiful paradise."

Squall raised both eyebrows. "Paradise? This is a military base."

Raven frowned for the first time, although he appeared more insulted than angry. "You forget that out here, we're secluded from the cancerous masses that flock in the wastelands. Out here, in the wilderness, it's harmonious. One doesn't see what he has until it's stripped away from him." Raven raised his head upwards, bringing his arms up around himself as well, indicating his surroundings.

Squall gazed back intensely, his right hand clutching the gun holster, ready to attack. "We're human. It's our nature to take everything for granted."

Raven slowly brought his head and arms back down, staring at Squall with tragic remorse. "Indeed… but let's leave the metaphysics for another time. On to business my friend."

Squall shook his head disbelievingly, unable to believe the strange attitude the man ahead of him displayed. His calm and collected nature betrayed the aggressive looking size he carried. Drawing out his USP Tactical, Squall placed both arms around the handle, aiming straight ahead. He awaited his opponent's next move.

Raven strolled forward, causing Squall to pull the slide of the pistol. The large man stopped. "Don't waste your time with the handgun. The bullets will hardly penetrate my skin, I can tell you that right now."

Squall wasn't so sure but judging from his attitude and demeanor, Raven didn't appear to be one who told a lie. In fact, Squall could have sworn that everything Raven spoke was genuinely from the heart. "What the hell is going on here Raven? Why are _you_ doing this, of all people? You don't belong here."

Raven waved the words away with his large left hand. "I come for the animals of the wild. When I have the chance, I spend time with them and converse with their souls." At that exact moment, he raised both arms in the air as if summoning something and instantly, the loud sound of fluttering wings swept throughout the entire warehouse floor.

Squall gazed around frantically, turning and pointing his gun with jerky motions as a great flock of ravens descended from far up above, landing on the arms, shoulders and head of the giant man. Squall stared in awe for a brief moment. "What the fuck…?" He mumbled, having not noticed any birds in the area prior.

"These are my brothers of the land. They're pure and uncorrupted."

"Raven!" Squall shouted furiously, his patience now wearing thin. The Ravens didn't react from the sharp noise. "Liquid's going to steal launch codes and fire at Galbadia! Innocent people are at risk. What have they ever done to earn that fate?"

Only Raven's lips moved as he spoke quietly and slowly, his voice sounding more chilling by doing so. "It's as I told you my friend: they're already corrupt by stripping this beautiful planet of its purity. Viruses and cancers. It's only right that they're punished."

"Fucking hell…" Squall disgustedly shook his head. "You're no different from the rest of them, I was wrong." With that, he aimed and fired straight at the top portion of Raven's great body.

The bullet left the chamber, sailed in the air and dug itself in the upper left pectoral of the SARC agent. The raven's perched on his arms and shoulders immediately flew up and away in all directions, momentarily creating a spectacular scene in the dim light as several feathers slowly descended to the floor.

Perhaps more amazing was the fact that Raven, just as he had stated, appeared completely unharmed and unfazed by the fired bullet. Digging into his skin slightly, he pulled the barely lodged bullet out of his chest as Squall fired three more bullets his way without hesitation.

The first again hit the left pectoral once more, the second went into the left shoulder with the third bullet plunging into the lower part of Raven's tree trunk sized neck. A fourth came after the three had all made impact, aimed straight for the head. Raven dodged the fourth bullet, his eyes trained on Squall's, containing a frightening stillness within.

Squall lowered his weapon slowly and gazed at the Shaman warrior with amazement. Raven carefully and effortlessly dug the fresh new bullets out of his skin, dropping them to the floor, his eyes never leaving his opponent's.

Raven took one large step forward, gazing blankly yet seriously at Squall. "I told you not to waste your time with your inefficient weapon. My skin naturally shields me from projectiles as yours."

"You're a freak." Squall breathed out, tucking his gun away as he contemplated his options.

"No." Raven frowned once more out of insult as opposed to anger. "I'm blessed. It's you who's the freak and I pity you. But then again, perhaps you can prove yourself."

"Well then Shaman, what'll it be?" Squall questioned, his head cocked to the side and his eyes wide open, giving off an icy expression.

"Since you're indeed such a legend my friend, I'll allow you time with two options at hand. You've more than earned to choose your path and alter your story hero. I have respect for that." Raven began to remove the large strap to whatever it was mounted on his back.

Squall looked on with confusion for a moment. "What?"

"How old are you?" When Squall didn't answer, Raven continued. "Well I assume you must be a man in his late twenties, no more than thirty. Am I correct?" Squall remained silent. "Good, then it's settled." Raven nodded once to himself as he brought forward a giant rail gun.

Squall's eyes widened considerably upon recognizing the weapon. It was a 20 mm M61 A1 Vulcan Gatling gun, often mounted on strike fighter planes. The weapon was meant to cut through enemy artillery. He took several steps back as he eyed Raven, who began to position the ammunition drum onto his back.

"What's settled?" Squall wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer.

"I'll give you exactly thirty seconds for one of two options I deem plausible." Raven looked up, locking eyes with Squall for a moment, stopping his work. "Your first option is to run and grab the 29 I've left on the floor for you. There are two rockets I carried for you. You''ll take your chance to fight me with the acquired weapon if you so choose." Raven brought two rockets from behind and gently rolled them towards the launcher.

"And my second option?" Squall asked, trying to stall the larger man as he gazed around for an open exit. He had already begun to move towards a large stack of crates for cover.

Raven looked up once more from finalizing the weapon. "It's simple. You have thirty seconds to run. You take your chances away from this floor. Perhaps you'll be able to find something to use to your advantage in other areas." He looked down, slipping the end of the ammunition belt into the Vulcan. "Of course, there's always the nuisance of the guards to deal with as well." He brought his head up once more, this time directing all his attention towards Squall. "So what will it be?"

Squall eyed the RPG for a brief second, being tempted but knowing better. "What assurance do I have of your word?" He feigned interest in going for the rocket launcher.

Raven took the bait and hoisted the weapon up and forward, causing Squall to immediately jump out of the way, ducking behind a great stack of boxes. The large soldier let out a deep, burly chuckle. "You'll have my word because to keep one's word reflects purity on his or her part."

Squall had had enough and gazed around instinctively for a moment, before rolling across the floor and taking off stealthily, towards a far end of the warehouse floor. Within moments, he reached what he guessed to be a security exit for the floor. The single black door contained no sign whatsoever and appeared locked. He looked through the narrow glass slit, spotting nothing but absolute darkness.

"Thirty!" Came Raven's thunderous voice, marking the beginning of the countdown.

Squall stepped back and came forward with great force, smashing the heavy door with his right boot. The door budged but refused to open completely. A second kick however, granted him open passage as the door swung open, creaking from inactivity. Shooting one last look back, Squall ran in, shutting the heavy door behind him.

It was a staircase ascending and descending in rectangular fashion. Glancing up, Squall saw nothing but darkness. Below was an apparent fight light. Without giving it another second of thought, Squall descended at a rapid pace, jumping over as many stairs as possible. After a frantic fifteen second descent, Squall approached the dimly lit door giving off the illumination in the staircase.

Remembering Raven's time limit, Squall slammed through the dark green metal door without any consideration, coming straight into a brightly lit, fairly large dining lounge. The sudden change in light intensity caused his pupils to shrink considerably as took in his surroundings.

The room was about forty feet long by sixty feet wide and there were several dark wooden tables occupying the far left side, spaced out evenly with multiple chairs around each. The walls, along with the roof were pure white, in stark contrast to everything else so far. In the middle of the lounge, were two shiny black counters containing an assortment of kitchen accessories extending from each side of the room, but stopping ten feet short of each other, creating a pass way. Directly above the counters, were cabinets that ran along the ends in the same fashion, stopping ten feet short of each other. An assortment of plants and couches were positioned around the sides of the lounge, giving it a very friendly and comfortable atmosphere, not indicating it belong to an area of military presence.

Seated at one of the three large tables were three soldiers playing cards. Upon hearing the door slam open, they turned their attention to the source of the noise. The three men froze in their spots, eyes all glued on Squall, who studied them for an awkward moment.

All three began to move their arms swiftly, reaching for their firearms but Squall's speed was far superior as he brought out his Tactical and placed three perfect silenced shots through the chest of each guard. He dropped to a crouch and circled around, his weapon and eyes trained to spot any moving hostile in the vicinity. Completing the sweep, he noticed no other signs of life and stood up, cautiously making his way to the table while leaning forward.

Squall approached the guards and frisked them for their weapons. He obtained a CAR-15 A2 assault rifle and several clips of ammunition to go along with it. There were two handguns as well, both .40 Beretta PX4 Storm pistols.

He nodded in approval. "This'll do…"

The footsteps of someone approaching from close by sounded, prompting Squall to run towards the wall adjacent to hallways leading out of the lounge. Positioning both index fingers around the trigger of the Tactical, Squall waited.

An oblivious guard dressed in cargo pants and a white muscle shirt walked past, carrying on straight ahead. "Guys, I'm back. You didn't start witho-" He paused immediately, noticing the still bodies of his three comrades.

He turned around wildly, coming to face Squall pointing his gun straight at his forehead. "Hands up. Now." His calm voice carried out.

The shaky brown haired soldier appearing in his early thirties brought up his arms and dropped to his knees. His eyes turned red, threatening to release tears. "Please…" He choked out.

"Give me a break." Squall replied irritably, rolling his eyes. "Get the fuck up." The soldier hesitantly but surely complied.

It was at that exact moment that the green door off to the side burst open, completely tearing off its hinges, and giving way to Raven. The large man carried the massive Vulcan Gatling through two opposing wide grips mounted at the ends and had wrapped himself up entirely with a large ammunition belt, substituting it for armor to go along with the large ammunition drum strapped to his back.

"H- holy crap!" The guard yelled, the familiar smell of urine filling the air.

Squall wasted no time being surprised and took off down the hallway to his left, a heavy rattling of bullets sounding just seconds later. It was as if someone was using a deafening spray. The guard was torn to shreds as Raven fired towards his direction, ripping up the wall in the process as well, missing Squall. Pieces of flesh scattered everywhere as blood painted the wall in random blotches. The large man stopped and proceeded forward slowly, lumbering as he held on to the heavy rail gun.

Squall turned in the L shaped hallway and came out into a relatively bare large one, this one's walls painted a faint turquoise. He peered to his left, noticing four guards looking at his direction with horror and surprise. They had already begun moving forward from the sound of Raven's gunfire. Squall took off to his right and dove to the hard metal floor, performing a quick duck and cover maneuver as he targeted and fired at the four men. They took a defensive position behind a large crate to the side and returned fire.

Squall strafed and quickly fell into a narrow, dead end corridor, pressing his back towards the wall and waited. He noticed the elevator outside, ahead of him to the end of the hallway.

"Be advised, we have a hostile intrusion. I repeat: hostile intrusion on level C5. Request immediate backup now. Gunshots already fired." A guard spoke through the radio, behind the safety of the crate, another peering over the side with his rifle trained straight ahead.

It was then that Raven came out of the bisecting hallway and the guards all took their attention off the hidden Squall, aiming their weapons towards him. The large man turned in their direction for a moment, appearing terrifying with the latched rail gun. A frightened guard fired at him prematurely, the bullet entering the left bicep. The rest of the guards responded as if by reflex and shot as well, peppering Raven with a shower of lead.

He growled mightily as Squall peered over the side, Raven's back now to him as the large man fired back mercilessly at the men behind the crate, obliterating it along with them in a span of a few short seconds from the lethal caliber bullets. Squall wasted no time and shot forward, away from Raven, towards the elevator.

Raven concentrated on showering the men ahead with the Vulcan's bullets, red beginning to stain the surrounding area. "Shoot at me? You're all the same." He spoke gruffly.

Squall took out a flash bang grenade, reaching the elevator. He smashed the button calling for the elevator with his thumb and wasted no time running back to the safety of the corridor. Raven, with his keen senses, felt Squall behind him and turned around just in time to see a grenade thrown from the corridor to his left bouncing off the wall.

The flash bang exploded into a blinding white light as Squall ducked his head under his arms in the corridor, shutting his eyes and clasping his ears tightly. Raven wasn't as fortunate as the explosion engulfed him, causing him to blink violently and take two steps back in slight shock.

Squall heard Raven let out a cry of frustration and threw a grenade out. His eyes were trained on the closed elevator doors.

Raven heard and felt another grenade come his way, causing him to turn his back and shield himself as his blinded eyes slowly refocused. Nothing happened for a moment and Raven contemplated turning around before a small blast erupted, spewing intense heat all across his back and hind legs, drawing a loud cry of pain and pushing him forward. Raven felt his back burn and sting heavily as several chunks of flesh were ripped off from the explosion.

He turned around, his ears ringing and his eyes still burning from the intense light as he heard the chime of the elevator doors.

To Squall, the sound couldn't have been more beautiful at the moment as he dove forward like a pouncing cat and into the open elevator. Raven wasted no time, and fired blindly ahead, the bullets lodging themselves all across into the wall and into the elevator's wall as well. He heard a sharp cry and growl of pain from Squall, prompting the large to smile in satisfaction.

The elevator doors began to shut as Raven unleashed another barrage of bullets, with Squall shielding himself to the side of the elevator. He gazed at the corner of his right shoulder, and grimaced from the pain, noticing crimson flowing out onto his dark blue sneak suit.

"Son of a bitch…" He snarled angrily and shook his right arm in pain, surprised that the large bullet hadn't completely torn off his entire shoulder. He needed to apply pressure to the wound to keep the blood in but had no loose clothing he could spare. He became aware of his bandana and immediately rejected the idea. "Fuck it."

The sound of bullets from outside continued as he stood up warily and gazed at the display pad, unsure of where to travel to. He hit D1, wishing to get out of the entire C level at the moment and got into a crouch.

Squall activated the codec and heard Quistis speak up. "Is everything alright?" She sounded genuinely concerned.

"Quistis, yes." Squall replied softly. "Quistis, I'm in a bit of a bind. I have Vulcan Raven on my tail-"

"Raven?" Snake's familiar deep voice cut in. "Where are you right now?"

"Elevator heading down. I need some navigation."

"Where's Raven?" Snake shouted with intensity.

"Above me at the moment. You never told me he was enormous."

"I told you he was big.

"Not _that_ big. Quistis?"

"Sure Acid." She spoke up. "I can guide you but I'm not sure what you're looking for."

"Just get me as far away from him as possible. I need isolated locations. Any word as to the President?"

"Well…" Quistis began, typing frantically. "Intel from earlier suggests that he's being held captive in one of the earlier D floors. I can work on it some more and try and narrow it down for you."

"Do it."

A loud thud was heard as the elevator rocked violently, sending Squall crashing hard to the floor.

The codec conversation was terminated. Squall stood up in a squat, staring at the hatch above. He brought out the CAR-15 rifle and checked the clip, then aimed up above, his gaze steady despite the violent rocking. The hatch was ripped open; revealing part of Raven's familiar burnt garment as Squall pushed himself up, pressing his body as far away from the hatch opening as possible.

Raven lifted the end of the rail gun, pointing it towards the inside and began firing. The restrictive surroundings, coupled with the large clunky weapon prevented him from successfully targeting Squall. The FOXHOUND operative pressed himself as far back as he could, constantly hitting on the button for the next stop. The strain on the tension cables was great from the force of Raven's heavy landing and they threatened to snap at any moment.

Squall pushed his hands and legs against the sides of the elevator, pressing himself up and taking Raven's vantage away. He used a free hand to pull out a grenade. Breathing heavily, Squall pulled the pin with his teeth and threw it out the hatch the moment the constant shower of bullets entering subsided momentarily.

Raven paused, just in time to see a grenade exit the hatch, flying up above his head before gravity took its toll, pulling it down. The large man desperately turned his back, tucking his body in as he took cover behind the large rail gun. The blast seemed more enermous this time, but could have been attributed to the finely constricted setting as the elevator rocked further and Raven felt the force of the blast dig the weapon into his body.

Squall immediately fell to the floor, bouncing around as if he were on the back of a rodeo bull. That was it. The cords unable to handle the tension, completely snapped as the elevator plummeted down at an increasing pace. Squall felt more and more weightless by the second.

Up above, Raven jumped with amazing vertical power and grabbed on to the fast rising end of the torn tension cable, taking him along as his other hand clutched to the rail gun tightly. In the distance, he saw the elevator increase in speed below as it began to disappear from view.

Squall, concentrating on his coordination and balance, grabbed onto the open hatch, pulling himself up. This proved to be far simpler than he had expected, for he was practically floating in the air. He saw Raven disappear from sight up above as the other end of the rope tugged him away. Squall's hair was blowing wildly in the freefall descent, his bandana following suit. He couldn't hit the panic button just yet as his feet began to leave the roof of the platform. Without thinking, he instinctively pushed down and used what gravity he had to his advantage, launching himself off the sinking elevator, towards the side of the wall.

He fell and continued to fall. 'Fuck.' Looking down, he noticed a fast approaching ledge in the darkness of the shaft. Squall wasn't able to land on the ledge as he fell before it, clutching onto it with outstretched arms, bringing his freefall to an abrupt and painful stop.

"Arghhh!" Squall screamed in pain, his arms feeling as if they had been ripped straight out of their sockets. He felt lightheaded for a moment, anticipating a blackout when it hit him. He was hanging on for dear life at the moment and needed to find himself on stable, solid ground before he could collapse.

With unbelievable pain shooting throughout his upper body and his wounded soldier, Squall grimaced and he hoisted himself up, relying purely on adrenaline to make it onto the ledge safely. As he laid on the narrow ledge for brief moment catching his breath, Squall looked up into the darkness, no longer able to spot Raven.

He closed his eyes, ready to succumb to the exhaustion and pain.

At that instant moment, a loud crash was heard from below as the shaft trembled lightly and an explosion ensued, lighting the bottom up. Squall was jolted awake and peered over the side, noticing a brilliant flame making its way upwards far below before stopping and fading back down.

"Fucking Raven..." He muttered, sitting up painfully and being careful not to move quickly on the narrow ledge. He noticed for the first time, an elevator door and stood up, pressing himself against it, looking a way to open it from inside.

A tingling inside his ear made him activate the codec. "Quistis?"

"Step back and wait." A quiet masculine, raspy and unfamilar voice spoke, sending Squall into a frenzy.

"Who the fuck is this?" He was on full alert.

"Step back." With that, the static died.

Squall took out his pistol and stepped away from the doors which chimed open at that exact moment, causing him to come out suspiciously in a crouch.

The area was moderately lit and seemed to be some form of mechanics bay. He exited the small hall leading from the elevator as the area opened up into a large, circular laboratory. Various lighted panels were lined up everywhere along with large machinery in the form of generators and engines. Computer panels among other things were placed around the lab.

Squall heard the codec tickle his eardrum once more as he crouched beside a panel and activated it. "Who is this?"

"It's Quistis." The familiar voice spoke quickly. "Are you ok? We saw your signal descend several flights fairly rapidly. We could've sworn you were falling."

"I was falling..." Squall stated matter-of-factly. He had a strange feeling inside, advising him to keep the mysterious codec call quiet for the time being.

Quistis was silent for a moment before speaking. "I think I've located the president. He's being held in the containment chambers on level C10."

"Perfect, I was just heading to D1 so it should be close by. Where am I right now?"

"D4." She spoke quickly, anticipating his coming anger.

"What the fuck?" Squall snarled incredelously. He looked up over the panels, noticing a team of three guards patrolling the area each on their own as they followed patterned routes, occasionally stopping to glance around more thoroughly before continuing.

"Acid," Quistis cut in, "I'm tracking your signal and I'm pinning you close to an extreme heat source."

"That's the heat chamber, it's on the same floor in that area." Snake spoke up for the first time. "They use it to discard any unwanted waste such as scrap metal. Melt it and recyce it for future use."

"How do I get out of here? The current elevator isn't functional anymore." Squall's eyes stayed on an approaching but oblvious soldier.

"Schematics show that the eastern part of the lab, which should be to the far right of the elevator, has an exit."

Squall eyed a far end of the lab and noticed a white security door. "I see it. Other alternatives?"

"There are ventilation shafts in the area, so you could always crawl through those if-"

Squall abruptly terminated the codec conversation and crawled across the floor, behind another set of panels as the gaurd approached, scanning the area. As the soldier turned, to retreat, Squall shot up from behind and pulled the man down with him.

The guard attempted to scream, but Squall held his mouth firmly with one hand, the other pointing the silenced USP to his temple. "It's simple. You talk and answer my questions: you don't get hurt. You don't: you eat lead. Understand?"

The gaurd nodded immediately, his green eyes wide open with fear. "Mmph." He mumbled.

"Good." Squall slowly eased his grip. "Just remember, you don't cooperate, you and your buddies here all die. How many in this lab in total?"

The guard was trembling lightly. "Three... including me."

Squall cocked the gun and pressed it tightly to the guard's temple. "You're lying."

"Four! Four! Including me. One of the guards is the security room to the left."

Squall thought for a second. "Tell him to get out here and to approach the lab door. Now!" He glared threateningly into the guard's fearful eyes for a moment, pressing the gun into his forehead with force. "If you try any shit, I won't hesitate to cut you short right now."

The officer carefully and slowly brought out his radio. He dialed a short frequency before speaking. "Tim, it's Jake. Yeah I know you can't see me, I'm just tying my laces."

"Stand up and wave to him." Squall whispered into his ear.

The guard stood shakily, saluting towards the direction of the small security attachment. "Listen, can you just go to the door for a second? I think someone's there." His voice quivered a little but remained sharp.

"Why?" The cracked voice spoke through the radio. Squall dug the silencer into Jake's back from behind.

"Just go check it for a second, I still have to sweep the elevator area. Come on, get up off your fat ass." His confidence seemed to have increased.

Squall witnessed a stocky short man dressed in a security uniform walk out of the room, eyeing Jake peculiarly for a moment before heading towards the door. Squall stood up and roughly kicked the guard in the back of the right knee, sending him down weakly. He lined up two shots into each of the two patrolling soldiers at the other end of the lab, the bullets cutting through the air noiselessly as they hit their targets. Squall picked up the pained guard roughly, holding him by the neck as he pushed him forward.

"You- you said you wouldn't kill me." He muttered, frightened and dazed.

"I never said anything about not hurting you." Squall had his eyes trained on the stocky man, who had his back turned to them, completely unaware of the two dead guards. He peered through the glass slit of the door, spotting nothing and turned around with confusion before a look of surprise then fear took over.

"Wh- what the fuck?" He stuttered.

"Shut up and open the door. Now!" Squall shouted, clutching Jake's neck tightly around his free hand.

The stocky guard peered over to his left for help from the two patrolling guards, only to find himself staring at their lifeles bodies. He turned back in horror. "Wha-"

"Just do what he says Tim!" Jake shouted impatiently.

The round man turned and hastily passed a clearance card through the door entry, opening it. He turned around once more, his eyes wide open. "You won't get away with this."He stated quietly, his eyes full of fear as he backed towards the security room once more.

"You're right." Squall fired at the man's forehead, sending him, along with his airborne blood, at the wall. Jake attempted to break free only to be met with a bullet to the temple. Squall dropped the dead guard and approached the security officer, swiping his clearance card. He exit the lab cautiously to come out into another familiar hall with multiple corridors and locked doors along the sides. At the end, he saw two elevator doors and began to run towards them before one opened, revealing to his shock, a determined looking Raven.

"I see you survived the fall." Raven spoke calmly.

"Unfortunately so for you as well." Squall began to retreat.

Raven brought up the terrorizing Vulcan rail gun and unleashed rapid fire.

Squall dove back into the laboratory, shutting the door behind him. "Fucking doesn't give up." He was fresh out of grenades and had one remaining flash bang. Squall breathed out, his eyes racing. Standing up, he took off towards the safety of several durable looking generators lined up behind a set of panels. He ducked behind as he brought out the CAR-15 assault rifle. His eyes remained glued to the door while he activated the codec.

"Acid, what happened you just-"

"Quistis not now! Raven is on the floor just outside the lab. I need you to locate me any other alternate exits from within the lab. Now!" He yelled impatiently.

The blonde woman shook in her seat, with Snake staring on with slight concern. "Look for ventilation shafts Acid, they should be piled around."

"Snake, how the fuck does this guy keep finding me? It's like someone's transmitting him my signal."

Snake's stomach churned at the idea as he appeared pensive. "Acid, try luring Raven to the heat chamber in some way. Quistis, find it for him. You might be able to do something in there."

An second tingling sensation alerted Squall of an incoming message. His body felt cold and against his better judgement, he answered it. "Who is this?"

"No time to explain but you're going to have to trust me." The raspy voice spoke once more.

"How the fuck can I trust you? Who am I talking to?" Squall was impatient.

A large spray of gunshots was heard from outside as they hit the door, warping it. It was immediately blown right off its hinges as Raven barged in, surveying the area. Squall was down low, behind the generators and searched around desperately, fingering the flash bang as a last resort. Raven was guarding the door at the moment, trimming Squall's chances of running past him.

"Ventilation shaft to the right, behind the triangular panel, twenty five feet from the right of the door." The raspy voice shouted. "Hurry now, or you die!"

Squall searched and sure enough, off to the corner, was a shaft well concealed that would possibly give him just enough time to throw himself into as Raven trudged around quietly, listening. Squall threw the flash bang and Raven immediately caught sight of it as it flew towards him in the air.

"No!" The large man turned around at the last second, an intense bright light engulfing the room.

Squall wasted no time as he took off for the metal duct, prying it loose and throwing himself into the narrow shaft, escaping on his elbows and knees. From behind, came a powerful roar of anger as Raven began to fire wildly in all directions while his eyes adjusted more quickly this time, having been more ready for the emission of light. He peered over the panels and took notice of the pried metal duct, rushing towards it hastily. He peered inside but Squall had already disappeared around a bend, crawling inside further.

Raven fired inside the shaft regardless, hoping Squall would be nearby.

The FOXHOUND soldier peered back several feet behind as a stream of bullets collided with the dead end of the passage. The tingling in his ears triggered him to respond. "What do you want?" He already knew who it would be.

"Don't go to the furnace. You won't make it in there for very long. Raven has a higher immunity than you and that thermal suit will only make it more unbearable. You'll be cooked alive."

Squall became more suspicious at the mention of his thermal suit, beginning to question the myterious man's nature. He didn't know if it was his imagination given the current scenario, but Squall felt as if the voice contained a distant trace of familiarity to it, as if he'd heard it from long ago. It was an odd assumption however, being as the voice didn't appear to belong to anyone he could ever remember interacting with.

Squall frowned as he crawled along on one elbow, before coming to a dead end, the passage splitting to the side both ways. "You still haven't told me who you are."

"Turn right, trust me." The man ignored his initial request. Squall stopped for a moment, contemplating as to whether or not he should follow the man's advice and decided to call for Snake. "Don't head to the furnace." The raspy voice warned before Squall cut the conversation, dialing for headquarters.

He heard the clattering of an object behind and turned immediately as the explosion of a grenade sent a wave of heat towards him, shaking the entire vent. Squall coughed violently, still shielding himself for several moments as the explosion behind died down. "Motherfucking Raven..."

"Acid?" Snake's voice popped up.

"I made it out of the lab, inside a shaft." Squall spoke in composed manner, not revealing what had just transpired.

"What happened back there?"

"I told you, Raven keeps finding ways to track me. Someone must be transmitting."

"I'll look into it. Give me a second while Quistis uploads schematics of your location." Snake paused and looked at the screen as Quistis scanned the ventilation shaft routes and traced Squall's position.

"Acid," Quistis' voice chimed in, "Turn left, that way will lead you to a bypass over the furnace chamber. There should be an exit pointing down to land you inside."

"Head to the heat chamber, it's your best bet at the moment. Lure Raven out if he keeps following you." Snake's voice was steely. Squall was quiet for a moment as the conversations from earlier registered throughout his head. "Acid, do you copy?"

"I got it but won't my thermal suit cause me more problems in the intense heat?"

Quistis turned and looked up at Snake who had an uncomfortable expression housed. He pursed his lips for a moment. "Just head there, we'll fgure out something along the way."

"Negative, I'll work something out."

"Acid! That's a direct or-"

Squall terminated the call and paused before turning right, shaking his head with disapproval at his own decision. 'Stupid Squall, stupid. You don't even know who it is.' Something inside however, seemed to assure him that whoever it was guiding him could be trusted.

A codec call alerted him to answer but he ignored it as he recognized it was Snake trying to dial back.

A second tingling stopped Squall as he answered the call. "It's you..." He recognized the different frequency.

"You're heading right because this passage leads to the floor below, so the shaft will be making a dip. There, you'll find a freezing chamber used to house certain material and develop experimental arctic weapons."

Squall's eyebrows quirked as he moved along on one elbow. "What kind of weapons? How the hell do you know this?"

Again the man ignored him and continued on. "Inside the containment chamber, among the various items, you'll come across a supply bay, you can't miss it. And inside you'll find a stash of cryogenic liquid cylinders holding liquid nitrogen."

"How cold is it in there?" Squall asked as he saw an upcoming dip in the passage, splitting along three ways downwards. "I'm at a triple fork."

"Take the one to the far left, it'll lead you the rest of the way."

Squall remained still for a moment. "You didn't answer my question."

There was a brief pause. "-75 celsius, give or take a few."

"What the fuck!" Squall's brows contorted into an angry frown. "That's suicide, I have no facial protection!"

"Masks are right before the main entrance. I'll let you know when you get there. Listen, from here on out, the choice is up to you. Take the help or leave it." The voice died immediately leaving Squall alone in the shaft, with his troubled thoughts.

* * *

Squall dipped his head out slightly, staring around his surroundings below before he dropped completely. He completed a flip in midair, levelling himself and landing with his feet onto the cold floor. He stared ahead through the great glass door leading to the freezing chamber. The trek through the vents had been arduous but in the end, he had come out exactly where he had been directed to, and spotting no hostile threats at the particular moment.

Squall took notice of a side rack, containing sure enough, several garments for sub-zero temperature along with full facial protection. The masks resembled those worn in a biohazard lab, with two filters at the fronts for oxygen intake and two large circular tinted holes for the eyes. He slipped one on and proceeded to the door before stopping.

Remembering his open wound, Squall proceeded to rip off several of the garment on the rack, bandaging his shoulder tightly. When he was satisfied, he slipped into the pressurization room, leading to the actual chamber. The door shut behind squall and vapor filled the room, giving him an uneasy feeling for a moment before the second door opened, leading inside the freezing room.

He was immediately hit with a piercing chill that ran inside his body, numbing him to the core. The protective thermal garments did their best to keep his body temperature suitably reasonable as he explored the area, vapor rising everywhere from the cold temperatures, and a faint hissing sound existing at all times. There was a faint bluish ambient lighting throughout the whole area as if it were a hospital. There were rows and rows of containment pods stacked neatly along the left side. All were closed and tinted, concealing anything that may have been contained within.

His body was becoming more frigid by the minute and the shoulder wound was turning unbearable. He doubted if Raven was actually capable of bypassing such an area bare chested, no matter how immune he was to natural climate.

Squall passed through a wide entry to another portion of the chamber, this one containing two great cylindrical tubes to the right, resembling a shower stall. Up ahead, as he had been advised by the mysterious informer earlier, was a hatch leading to small room.

He moved forward, trudging carefully, for fear of harming his suit in anyway and approached the hatch. There was a large wheel to open the metal door. He began to spin it clockwise, strugging at first before it continued to spin until the hatch gave way.

Despite the faint hissing sound, Squall's keen senses picked up on heavy footsteps in the area as he turned wildly, just in time to spot a frustrated looking Raven coming through the entry, breathing out heavy wisps of air through his nostrils. Coats of ice were forming all over his body. Squall abruptly ran into the tiny room as Raven unleashed a spray of bullets towards him, just grazing his suit as he hid inside.

Raven's panted, sending his booming voice through the harsh air. "A fitting place to do battle. It'll power your cold heart. This is your proving ground."

"Proving ground?" Squall shouted from inside as he worked to push the heavy door shut.

"You decide how this chapter of the story ends. We're men not bound to fate." Raven ran towards the door as it slammed shut, locking from within.

Turning around, Squall saw a small twenty by twenty foot room containing an abundant supply of different sized cryogenic liquid nitrogen cylinders. Heavy banging on the door forced him to turn around as he knew Raven was attempting to turn the locked wheel, but to no avail. Silence ensued for a moment before the loud sound of numerous bullets colliding with metal sounded, sending Squall back. He picked up a small cylinder and waited several moments as Raven pounded on the door with fury.

After several more frantic minutes passed, the lock on the door simply blasted away as the bullets finally tore through. The door swung open and before Raven could enter, Squall threw the cylinder out, prompting the large man to fire in surprise.

The move proved to be costly as the cylinder erupted with a great explosion, sending liquid nitrogen everywhere. The liquid immediately turned into a gas as it shot all over Raven's body, drawing a large, painful scream on his part. The powerful man backed away immediately, his skin turning harder by the second as certain areas began to go numb, completely losing all feeling. He grimaced in agony as Squall rushed out with a larger cylinder, releasing the liquid valve and emitting a fine spray straight at him once more.

Raven howled in torment from the unbelievable affliction. Gasping for breath as he fell back, the liquid nitrogen continued to pour out, hitting his body everywhere as if someone had begun plunging blades throughout. He felt his body turn more rigid by the second and it became increasingly harder to move. The hands had become glued, frozen to the handles of the Vulcan rail gun.

Squall was merciless as he emptied the cylinder at his foe.

Raven mustered the remaining ounce of his strength and tore his right from one of the handles, peeling off a large chunk of his palm in the process, the blood spewing out freezing immediately. He let out a earth shattering cry of pain as he moved his trembling hand towards the trigger.

Squall threw the remaining portion of the cylinder at him and dove into the room once more as Raven fired weakly. "Come out and face me!" He screamed unevenly, his voice wracked with pain. "It's my wish. Honor it like a man!"

The smaller man did indeed come out, shooting a further spray at Raven, whose body began to turn white, crystallizing all around. He had stopped firing, painful moaning sounds escaping his icy frozen lips. Squall took the end of the cylinder and swung it towards Raven's right shoulder, shattering the entire arm to pieces as they scattered to the floor in a messy pile of frozen chunks of bloodied flesh. The left arm tore off at the bicep from the weight of the weapon and dropped with the rail gun, smashing to fine pieces as well. Squall stepped back in stupefaction while Raven dropped to one knee slowly, like a robot with glitched circuitry.

The large man struggled to turn his neck, setting off sick grinding sounds. Pieces of frozen flesh cracked off and fell. The rest of his body was an icicle, glazed white all over. The Shaman's eyes were filled with pain, anguish and remorse and gazed at Squall hauntingly. They were beginning to glaze up, the white taking over the brown.

He coughed once roughly, spewing out frozen chunks of blood. "Remember... this..." He spoke painfully in constricted manner, his body stiff and his jaw moving with great struggle. "You..." Raven swallowed one final time, unable to voice the rest of his words.

Squall briefly noticed tears welling in the eyes of the larger man before they froze instantly, solidifying and blocking the eyes, sealing them off completely. It was all happening too soon. The great warrior had turned into an armless ice statue, positioned on one knee. His head remained held high and proud, despite his failure to eliminate his target. A target he had deemed impure.

Squall had taken the lives of many people, but this particular death seemed to cling to his mind, the visual before him implanting itself within permanently. He knew he would never be able to shake the image before him loose.

With eyes containing their own share of remorse, Squall dropped to both knees despite the stinging numbness encompassing him, sharing a moment alongside a fallen soldier. The setting truly couldn't have been more appropriate.

* * *

**Author's Notes: One down, several more to go? I hope whoever is reading is enjoying this. I'm actually having fun writing this so with any luck, the updates will come along more quickly since I've got a swarm of plot ideas circling around. Until next chapter...**


	9. Origins: Vise

**ORIGINS: VISE**

_Understand that the way that I am  
Is a product of the way that you underplay my hand  
Undone and I'm ready to explode on the things I don't know  
And I just want to let go _

**Silence **by **Dry Cell**

"_You're_ the one who made the call?" He shook his head in disbelief, mouth slightly hanging open.

"That's right. I knew that you could be trusted. Your credentials are impressive." The man spoke in a raspy voice. His face was grizzled, a full dark grey facial beard made him appear far older than his actual age. He wore the standard arctic white, Trabian soldier gear, his head being the only body part exposed. Lengthy grayish brown hair ran down to his shoulders from the back and a dark, fatigued set of eyes stared back.

"Old man, you got some balls making a hardwire call from inside here. This place is infested with baddies. How the hell did you even get a secure line?"

"Not important." There was a wave of a hand. "All you need to know is that if they get the launch codes from the President, you can kiss everything, including your Garden and your ass goodbye."

Blue eyes shone in the low ambient lighting from within the small containment room. "Ever so secretive, even when you requested for me I heard."

"Right now, we have more important things to worry about than trivial little tidbits. Will you do it or not?" His aging eyes seemed pleading, but his voice impatient.

The smile on the younger man's face extended wider, exposing his four frontal gold capped teeth. "Of course. I'm always up for a challenge. This is a Class A security risk. My favorite don't you know?"

"Well good..." The voice was crisp and serious, not finding any amusement in any of this, "because you're definitely going to have your hands full with this one. You were briefed about it all at Garden?"

The young operative waved his hand nonchalantly and turned towards the roof, eyeing an open hatch. "Don't worry about it old timer, I got everything I need." He paused, bringing his head level. "Are you going to tell me your name at least?" The bearded man was quiet, his gaze distant and wispy. "Come on now. At the least, I should know my client's name."

There was a heavy sigh before old eyes locked with intense blue ones. "I'm David Niksilp. Remember how to contact me."

"Yeah, yeah..."

"I told you my name, what's yours?" His gaze was penetrating.

Zell held the grin on his face. "I already told you. It's Vise. That's the only name you'll need to know." He winked once before blowing a mock kiss towards the man. "See you later pops." With that, he pulled himself up with two powerful arms and disappeared into the duct.

* * *

She giggled silently as the middle aged guard winked at her, beckoning for her with his curled index finger. "Come here sweetie."

The two soldiers in the corner gazed at her body lustily as the 5'6"; twenty one year old female beauty sauntered towards the man in the middle of the tiny room. She wore a tight navy blue leather jacket, with its zipper partly down, exposing a fair amount of tantalizing cleavage. Her matching dark navy blue leather pants were off and thrown on the lone bed in the corner as she moved in only a pair of black panties, exposing a fresh set of slender, smooth sexy legs. Pushing a strand of curly, light brown hair away from her face, she peered at the man seductively with her electric green eyes as she pushed him forcefully into a white chair and jumped onto him, straddling his hips with her bare legs.

The man ogled her hungrily, running his hands underneath the back of her jacket and up her smooth back. "Yeah..."

"You want it baby?" She teased, locking eyes with him while enveloping her arms around his neck.

"Oh you know daddy likes it." He kissed her roughly for a moment before she pulled away.

She gave the two guards in the corner a brief glance. "Some privacy perhaps?" She asked the guard whom she sat on top of in a sweet tone.

The man, occupied with lustful thoughts, had temporarily forgotten entirely about his two men. He turned and glared at them angrily. "What the fuck are you two looking at? Get out of here now!" He barked.

The two seemed to seethe at his fortune and turned to leave, muttering curses under their breaths.

"Don't worry you two." The girl purred smoothly in a sexy drawl. "I'll be with you two shortly after I'm done with him." With that, she shot both of them a pair of seductive winks, leaving them with brightened smiles on their mouths as they exited the room and closed the door.

"Now where were we?" The guard whispered into her ear roughly, drawing a giggle. "Yeah, you know you want it honey."

"Show me how much I want it." She challenged as he lifted her up, her legs wrapping around his waist before he threw himself, along with her, on top of the bed. As he closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment of passion, she expertly slid a tiny sharp blade out from the cuff of her right sleeve, grabbing it as she ran her left hand along the rest of his back.

"Does that feel good baby?" He asked.

She faked a moan and smiled, keeping her eyes closed as if she were experiencing pure bliss and ecstasy. "Mmmm..." She purred.

The man smiled and moved down along her neck, nibbling it before he began to kiss it fiercely. "Yeah..." He groaned in satisfaction.

The brunette female concentrated and waited as he inched lower, his hands beginning to snake towards her chest before she retracted the blade in her fist and prepared to sink it into his back.

That was when a loud clang was heard as a hatch from above dropped to the floor with an extremely loud thud, a thud that had no purpose belonging to the small weight the hatch occupied. It defied the laws of chemistry and sound energy. Selphie's eyes shot wide open in panic, immediately retracting the blade back up the cuff of her sleeve.

The guard stopped and pulled himself up with a jolt, turning around wildly. "What the fuck was that?"

"Nothing. That duct just fell." She assured him, mentally cursing. Her eyes spread open further when she spotted a strange slight distortion right above the fallen hatch, as if one were peering through dense glass.

The guard seemed to notice it as well as he pried himself off of her and rose. "What? What the hell is that?" He stared with knitted eyebrows in perplexity and approached the distortion carefully, extending his finger to prod the object.

The next few seconds caused Selphie's heart to skip a beat as she cowered towards the corner of the bed, clutching herself tightly.

The guard's eyes shot wide open as he was forcefully grabbed, his body thrown face first into the opposite wall with astounding force, producing a disturbing, weak crunching sound. The distorted figured moved out of the way, revealing the guard's back as he slowly slid down the wall, leaving a smear of blood trailing behind and collapsed lifelessly.

Selphie kept herself in the corner as she trembled, the distorted figure stepping forward in the light. Her mouth unconsciously fell open as the apparition began to materialize right before her eyes. Slowly as if ink were being soaked up by a white paper towel, Selphie made out arms clad in black leather begin to manifest, along with a broad upper body that had numerous black straps running across in all directions. The torso appeared next, containing a series of matching black belts with many compartments. Two, muscular legs dressed in black leather camo pants came into view. The pants contained several holsters with hidden handguns and had similar circular black straps running across horizontally in all directions. At last, the neck began to come into color visually as the face slowly formed, the only part of the body not covered by the black stealth suit.

"Damn, this stealth camo sure eats up a lot of juice." The low voice grumbled, shattering the brief silence.

"Oh my god!" Selphie cried, recognizing the short spiky yellow hair, the piercing blue eyes and the stubble around the chin. She cowered further into the corner, wishing to dig herself into the wall but to no avail. She didn't think the current sight before her would be more terrifying than the haunting distortion from a moment ago but she was wrong.

Zell's eyes shot daggers at her. "Hiya babe." His 5'10", 208 lb frame stepped forward quietly and stopped as he smirked cruelly. "Or should I say, _baby?_" The tone was mocking, mimicking the dead soldier on the floor.

Selphie's heart was pounding like a jackhammer and she was sure he could hear it as well as he gazed into her face amusedly. "Vise, wh- what're you doing here?" She didn't know his real name and didn't believe anyone else did either. Sephie was gasping for air as she clutched her body tightly, wishing to expose as little flesh as possible at the exact moment. Her eyes flicked towards the door for a split second.

Zell caught it. "Don't worry _baby_." He spoke mockingly once more. "The door and this room are all sound proof. The beauties of military infrastructure." He came to the side of her bed, towering over as he gazed down over her body in similar fashion as the guards all had. "My, our little Ms. Tilmitt has grown into a fine woman hasn't she?"

"H- how do you know me?"

"I know everything I need to know."

"What are you doing here?" She sounded so pathetic as she whispered softly, her voice still quivering. Her eyes never left his while they wandered over her. She felt extremely uncomfortable and sick to the stomach.

He tore his gaze away from the scenery and glared at her frostily. "The real question is, what are you doing here babe? I didn't know Garden issued standard SeeDs during a high threat national crisis."

Selphie was at a loss for words but couldn't tell him anything regardless. She was still having a hard time believing her own eyes, that his existence was genuine. Garden was known as an independent military contractor, lending their services for the right price. Their soldiers were a jack of all trades type people but there had always been rumors that within its walls, that the facility contained a highly classified 'Black' division as it had been dubbed. Many denied its existence and called it an urban myth but lately, more stories had begun to surface of the exploits of a top ranked, elite SeeD from the Black division.

Selphie had been warned about him and his intimidating presence. "You're really Vise aren't you? You're really real." Her body had stopped shaking but her voice was jittery.

"That's me." He grinned and did a mock salute before he gazed back at her. "I'm as real as that fine body of yours. Or at least I hope." His friendly expression turned dark within a second and it frightened her. "Get up." He ordered fiercely.

Selphie shakily got up, her bare legs exposed to his expressionless eyes as she timidly left the bed and stood a foot in front of him with fearful eyes. Zell closed the distance as she let out a silent breath she had been holding. Shutting her eyes, Selphie felt a gloved hand caress her cheek, prompting her to open them.

Fear, confusion, anger, and excitement swirled around within in a strange mixture as the emotions piled up. He was as unpredictable as they came and his touch sent jolts throughout her body, like current flowing through a wire. She stood pensively as he brought his face closer, icy blue eyes meeting sparkling emerald ones. Selphie parted her mouth slightly as her lips inched closer to his, anticipating the contact.

She closed her eyes and everything was still for a moment before she felt the gloved hand fully cup her face and push her to the floor roughly, sending her on her rear.

Her eyes shot wide open and she let out a sharp cry of pain as she slid on the cold tiled floor. Tears threatened to spill from her sparkling eyes. "You bastard!"

"Fucking slut." Zell calmly replied, checking his gun. "You play with fucking fire and you'll get burned you stupid whore. I don't know what the fuck you think you're pulling but your fun ends here." He pointed his silenced Mark 23 forward, the laser module producing a red dot directly on her forehead.

"Please!" Tears silently slipped down her cheeks as Selphie covered her head with her arms protectively, curling up on the floor. She covertly slipped the jagged blade out of her sleeve and clutched it tightly. "Please don't..."

Zell laughed sadistically for a moment, shaking his head in disappointment. "Pathetic... get the fuck up you bitch. You standard SeeD are a joke." He strode forward and grabbed a chunk of her hair, yanking her up forcefully as several strands were torn right out of their roots, emitting a painful yelp from the female. Selphie moved quickly and swung the blade at Zell's neck, only he was far too quick even for her trained reflexes, grabbing the blade and yanking it out of her hand. "Feisty."

"No!" She let out another yelp of pain as she thrashed around wildly before Zell threw her on the rough bed. Her body shook as she sobbed silently, head buried in the sheets.

"Bitch, did you actually think I was going to kill you?" Zell put his pistol back in its holster. "I'm a dick but I'm not that cruel. You're staying put for now until I come back."

Selphie looked up slowly, the mascara staining her face from the tears. "You can't leave me here alone!"

Zell ignored her as he activated a tracking device, gazing at it intently for a moment before looking up, smiling. "Lights out babe."

The blow came hard and quick, his heavy fist striking her in the left side of the head, knocking her out unconscious. Zell moved towards the door, drawing out the Mark 23 pistol. Opening it carefully, he spotted the two guards from earlier leaning on the wall with their arms crossed, chatting.

"..Tap it." One guard finished his sentence and chuckled, the other followed suit.

"I'm gonna pound her until she screams. Did you get a load of that sweet tight ass?" The laughter ensued as Zell exit and remained still, watching them in amusement for several seconds while they remained oblivious to him.

The guard closest finally noticed a presence to his left and turned his head, the smirk immediately dying. "What in the hell?" He moved to withdraw the assault rifle as the second guard did the same.

Zell planted two bullets with the laser sighting straight into each forehead, their faces forever etched into twisted expressions of surprise and shock as they collapsed. Despite being dead, Zell purposely stepped over each guard's neck with force, producing sickening crunches as he trudged along carelessly.

"Too fun." He mused as he continued down a long abandoned corridor in search of his target. The corridor joined a bisecting large hallway. Zell stopped to peer over the side. One end led to a single sliding metal door while the other approached an elevator door.

Zell frowned at the sight of an enemy sentry positioned by the door and what made it worse was the fact that several other sentries swept along the wide hallway, moving back and forth while they traveled their respective routes. Security was moderately high here it seemed.

"Well baby, time to work your magic again." He whispered to himself as the stealth camo was activated, the light bending around his body and rendering him invisible. "Initiate Stealth Logic." At that instant, Zell felt the entirety of his suit increase in weight as his feet planted themselves firmly on the floor. Exhaling quietly, he made his way out with the Mark 23 in hand, his feet noiselessly gliding across the cold metal surface.

There were six guards in total, excluding the one by the elevator door. He crept along, the men carrying on with their routes, completely oblivious and unaware of his existence as his slightly distorted figure went unnoticed in the dim light.

Zell approached the elevator and fell into a crouch as he neared. He stared at the still tall guard, whose gaze remained straight ahead, an M4A1 Carbine mounted by his side. Zell looked at the elevator call button and pressed it softly, drawing a painfully loud chiming sound in the process.

Instantly, the guard drew out his rifle and stepped away from the door, scanning the area suspiciously as two others nearby approached cautiously, their M4's aimed and ready.

The chiming sound was heard again, signaling the arrival of the elevator as the doors opened. The three guards all aimed their rifles towards the three sentry inside the elevator, who had looks of shock etched on their faces at that moment, bringing their arms up instantly.

"Whoa, easy... the hell is the meaning of this Sergeant?" A man from within called out. The soldier guarding the elevator outside sighed upon recognizing his comrades and retracted his weapon, the other two guards doing the same. The three men inside the elevator relaxed, bringing their arms down once more.

"Sorry you three." The Sergeant responded. "Just suspicious as to why you came down. We weren't notified."

The man in the middle elevator crossed his arms over his chest, quirking his eyebrows. "What? Strange... We thought it was you guys who rang for the door."

The six men all stared at one another uneasily for a moment as Zell crawled in carefully and noiselessly, making sure not to touch anyone amid all the confusion. After edging himself towards a corner, Zell swiftly launched himself up towards the ceiling with no noise, pressing his hands and feet towards the side as he looked directly down at the heads of the three soldiers.

Realization dawned on the Sergeant, whose expression turned gloomy. "Set up a thermal sweep now. We have an intruder in the area. Someone's using stealth camo." He ordered, his eyes moving around frantically as his head moved in every direction. The rest of the men went on high alert as well, their eyes scanning. The Sergeant stepped inside the elevator, inspecting it with others following action. A guard from outside approached with a palm sized computer.

"Where sir?" He motioned at the thermal sweeper.

"Activate it outside the elevator to search the area." Everyone held their breaths, rifles set on automatic fire as the computer detected several heat signals, all belonging to the guards.

"Seems clean sir, no sign of enemy intrusion." The guard looked up at his superior, awaiting his orders.

The Sergeant stared disbelievingly at the screen. "Check it again." He barked. A second sweep produced similar results to the first as the guards all gazed towards their leader. "What the fuck...?" Sighing, the Sergeant glanced around the area once more, patting the sides just in case. Feeling nothing, he looked up towards the ceiling, practically staring directly at Zell. He squinted and reached up for a moment as Zell immediately pulled an arm free and shifted his torso, holding his breath in anticipation. The Sergeant patted the ceiling and grunted to himself, bringing his arm down. He stepped out of the elevator uncomfortably and nodded at the men inside before the doors shut, taking them up once more.

From above, Zell smiled wickedly and dropped behind the three guards as the lift made its way up. This time, he didn't bother to come down quietly, producing a loud thud upon landing on the floor.

The men in front all visibly stiffened, shooting quick nervous glances at one another without turning around.

"Fuck..." The guard to the right muttered, shutting his eyes tight for a moment at his own incompetence.

"Good, don't turn around because there's not much to see anyway." Zell icily stated, bringing out his pistol. "So, what do you think boys? Pretty neat huh?"

"Fuck you." The guard in the middle spat in contempt, his eyes towards the door, sweat beginning to form around his forehead. "Fuck you asshole." The soldier next to him elbowed him in an attempt to get him quiet.

"No, no. Let me speak. Let's hear what tough guy has to say." Zell playfully voiced.

The guard in the middle snorted. "You actually think you're going to get anywhere? You have no fucking idea. Go ahead and kill us, it won't accomplish anything. No matter what, you lose you fuck."

"That's an interesting bit of info you got there. But since this place seems so heavily guarded and since you guys are so intent on not letting anyone up, I must be getting hot at least. Right?"

"Fuck you asshole. Suck my dick." The guards to the sides shook their head in anger, wishing for their comrade to watch his tongue.

"How about one of them sucks your dick?"

All three pairs of eyes up front widened.

"What?" The man to the left croaked.

"What?" The one in the middle mimicked. "Are you out of your mind?"

"You said you wanted someone to suck your dick and since I'm just dying for some entertainment, why not? You get to relax while your friends do all the work since you've apparently earned it tough guy."

"Fuck you perv. No one's sucking anyone's dick you faggot." The guard to the right shouted, beginning to turn around. He was immediately shot in the head, causing the other two men to jump forward and stare at their dead comrade in horror.

"Anyone else want to object?" Zell threatened. When no one spoke, he continued. "Good. You, the one to the corner, get down and pull down his pants."

The soldier to the left paled further as he locked eyes with his comrade beside him, who shook his head slowly, a look of fear in his own eyes. "I- I won't do it."

A clicking sound was heard, indicating the cocking of the pistol. Again, the two men stood still as the one to the left began to cry silently, tears dribbling down his face. The sobbing stopped immediately and gave way to a look of extreme pain as Zell shot at his foot. The guard screamed as the other stepped away in horror.

"Jesus! You are a sick fuck! He shouted, staring at his crippled comrade.

"No more bullshitting and more bitching. The next shot will be somewhere a lot more unpleasant believe me. Get the fuck down and pull down his pants if you want to live."

The injured soldier swallowed, halting his painful cries forcefully as he dropped to his knees and approached the horrified man. The soldier standing stared at the invisible Zell for a moment. "I won't do it!" He backed away towards the side wall.

"Then you can die." Zell snarled, aiming the laser module at his forehead.

The man cursed under his breath and shut his eyes tightly, a trickle of tears making their way out. He leaned his head back and bit his lip tightly as the other guard approached on his knees, sobbing quietly before stopping at the midsection.

"I'm sorry..." He looked up at the clearly uncomfortable stiff guard who refused to open his eyes.

"Just hurry up and get it over with!" The standing man shouted, unwilling and unable to look. The soldier below began to inch his hands towards the other's torso before Zell let out arough chuckle, causing him to stop momentarily. Both guards turned towards the noise and stared in confusion and panic.

"You pathetic losers." Without warning, he fired multiple shots into each soldier, throwing them back as their bodies jerked from the bullets striking upon impact. Zell callously watched the blood stain the walls and floor as it escaped the bodies of the men, singing a silent sad melody in the process.

* * *

General Caraway swirled his drink around in the expensive crystal glass. He was sitting comfortably behind his oak desk in a great leather chair inside his furnished office at home. The walls were decorated with numerous awards, medals and lavish paintings, giving off an air of historical importance. Plants were positioned in between the bookshelves, cabinets and stools, adding liveliness to the area.

"Have they stopped him yet?" A man spoke through the video screen on the desk. He was Galbadia's Defense Minister.

"Negative Rooney." Caraway took a sip of drink before placing it down. He leaned forward, clasping his hands together. "He's adamant about getting the launch codes. Got a whole expertly trained army under his control."

"My god... James what are we going to do? If this Liquid gets his hands on the codes, who's going to stop him? Tell me!"

Caraway glanced at the screen sternly. "I'm well aware."

"James, we have to issue a tactical missile strike on their launch base. The threat assessment is too high." Rooney's eyes were wide with panic on the other end.

"No."

"No?" Rooney stared back, a mixture of fear, confusion and shock on his face.

"Rooney, we still have time. Esthar has dispatched an elite anti-terrorist unit to neutralize the problem. We still have time. We can't allow for this to blow up in our faces at the signs of an early alarm. It's not convenient."

"James, our people could die!"

"You don't think I've thought about all of this?" Caraway roared, slamming his fist onto the table. "I love my people and I'll be damned if Esthar tries to take them away. Rooney, we will deal with this do you understand?"

The man on the other end simply stared helplessly through the monitor. "General, I request that we at least issue an order for the immediate evacuation of everyone inland and in the east. We need to think about sending them out west."

"Negative." The Defense Minister stared at his superior in disbelief. "Rooney, listen to me. We cannot afford to rouse suspicion and have our people go into a state of mass hysteria."

"At least let me issue the evac protocol to notify our forces."

Caraway leaned back in his seat for a moment appearing thoughtful. "Do it. In the meantime, I want all defenses on high alert and for all anti air missile stations to be equipped and up to shape. I want them functional within the next half hour, no excuses."

"Of course, we'll get to that right away. Out."

The conversation ended as the screen turned black. Caraway looked up from his seat at his silver haired guard standing by the door. "What is it?"

"Sir, you have a call." Fujin replied in an agitated tone. "It's private dispatch, should we send it through?"

Caraway frowned and stared at her for a moment. "Line is secure?"

"Affirmative sir."

"Patch him through."

Fujin nodded and activated a button from inside her vest before exiting the room, shutting the heavy wooden doors behind her.

Caraway stared into the screen disgustedly for a second, locking eyes with the blonde haired man. "I thought I told you not to contact me unless necessary. Do you understand how critical that is?"

Liquid's heavily accented voice cut through. "Good to see you too _General_." He spat mockingly.

Caraway shook his head with disdain. "I hope you're calling to confirm the launch codes. Did you get them?"

Liquid stared at him irritably. "If I had, wouldn't I be in a more jovial mood?"

"Well you better hurry the fuck up!" Caraway roared, coming forward with fire in his eyes. "It's becoming increasingly more difficult to keep everyone's finger here away from the trigger. They're this close to firing at you so you better speed it up!"

Liquid wasn't fazed. He spoke quietly with a piercing glare. "We've had an infiltration."

"I know about Acid Snake already." Caraway didn't have time for this.

"No, not Acid. Another." A pause.

Caraway narrowed his eyebrows and dropped his voice to a dangerous tone. "What other?" He snarled through clenched teeth. "What fucking other?"

Liquid cracked a smirk for the first time. "Interesting of you to ask. I was hoping _you _would tell me. Ever heard of the operative Vise?"

"Vise?" Caraway echoed, looking perplexed.

"This man has infiltrated the facility and worse, it appears that he's working for Garden."

"What?" Caraway appeared furious. "What has Garden anything to do with this? They're an independent branch and have no business in this affair."

"Well keep in mind old friend, that Garden is a private contractor and apparently, someone requested assistance from their Black Division." Liquid continued in a cool manner, betraying his bitter eyes. "It's interesting too... our intel ran a bio sweep on him and came up with some interesting facts." Caraway was silent, indicating for him to continue. "Did you know this young man is a product of your system?"

"Mine?" Caraway didn't like where this was heading.

"Hmm, yes indeed... you better listen to this too, since it cost my men an arm and a leg to obtain." Liquid appeared to be looking down at some sheets for a moment. "Age unknown but he joined the Galbadian National Army ten years ago for a brief one year stint. Promoted shortly after to the Galbadian First Arm Regiment and from there, moved on to GAT's Division 1 Task Force Unit. Stay in GAT was short due to superior skills exhibited as a soldier and was thereby selected to be part of Galbadia's Special Ops 'Division 6' enforcement unit." Liquid paused for a moment, smiling cruelly. "Should I go on?"

'No...' Caraway thought, dreading what was to come.

"Three years ago, he was offered a spot on the legendary Galbadian elite force 'Blue Arrow', led by none other than the infamous General James Caraway. Wow." Liquid smiled sardonically, and smiled with great satisfaction upon seeing the man before him visibly wince. "Ah what's this? Oh yes, defected to Balamb after the good General turned his back on his men during the war with Esthar. Joined Garden sometime afterwards and has not been heard from since until now." Liquid's smile faded as he stared menacingly at Caraway. "Good job."

"Stop him at all costs!" Caraway lost it. This was terrible. The entire situation was turning worse and worse by the minute. "He cannot and will not thwart this operation! I want you to find his name and destroy him and make him wish he never existed!"

Liquid chuckled uncontrollably. "Easier said than done dear old friend. I'm afraid he already doesn't exist. You see, our good lad seems to have sealed himself off completely from the rest of society. Apart from this bit of information I pulled up, there's not so much as a single trace of data on him. Not even a name. The man is a living ghost."

"I had every right to turn my back on them!" Caraway was furious, feeling the need to defend himself. "I took them in, fed them and watched over them and I was damned to have them leave my service. They insulted me! They were mine Liquid!"

"My my, calm down dear old friend. Let's not get touchy now." Liquid reprimanded mockingly. His playful tone parted, giving way to a dark, serious look. "I just called to make sure where we stand. I hope not to see any ideas of what you pulled on them surface once more anytime soon, understand?"

Caraway leaned back in his seat, glaring menacingly. "We're partners and this is a different ball game from the past. Understand?" He shot back in a threatening tone.

Liquid gazed with piercing eyes for a moment, studying the General. "Good. I wanted to make sure we're on even terms here."

"Take care of this Vise Liquid. Neutralize him. We can't afford any more setbacks."

"I will," He paused before adding rudely, "_General._" The video conversation ended as Liquid disappeared from the screen.

Caraway fell back in his chair, appearing troubled. He rubbed his brows and massaged his temples for a moment before leaning forward, activating the video screen and dialing in a number.

"General?" The old coarse voice spoke up respectfully.

"Ocelot, I want you to keep a closer eye on Liquid until the time comes, understand? He suspects too much."

"Of course General. I'll watch him more carefully and increase available surveillance around him."

Caraway nodded, pressing his fingers together and bringing them up to his chin. "Make sure he doesn't try anything outlandish. I don't want that bastard to be a thorn in our side for any longer than necessary."

"Yes sir." Ocelot nodded once, getting ready to terminate the conversation.

"Ocelot, wait." The gunman gazed directly at the General. "I've been informed of a second intruder inside the facility." He paused, staring at Ocelot intently. "Do you know anything about it?"

The aging Ocelot stared grimly for a second. "No sir, nothing that I've heard of here."

"Are you sure?" Caraway's eyes were calculating as they bore into the complex orbs of the man across the screen.

"Yes General. If I hear anything, I'll be sure to report it to you, as always." With that, Ocelot terminated the conversation and stared down at his severed forearm, grimacing in pain. He looked back up, face contorted into a glower. "Whoever he is, he'll pay..."

Caraway shut off the screen and closed his eyes, thinking for a moment. He opened them after a minute and gazed at a framed picture of his wife on the desk. "I miss you Julia..." He turned his attention to the larger photo by its side. It was a picture of Rinoa at the tender age of seventeen. She looked truly happy, with a faint but genuine smile lighting up her face. Caraway produced a rare smile of his own as his mood softened, the troubles of war temporarily melting away and giving way to contentment. He picked up the portrait, brushing his daughter's face with his thumb carefully. "I'm so sorry sweetheart. I'm so sorry that I let that motherfucker come near you. So sorry that I didn't protect you. So sorry…" A few droplets of tears descended onto the picture, splattering.

A voice cracked through his speaker. "General," Fujin began, "The Defense Minister is on the line."

Caraway cleared his throat and blinked his eyes. "One moment." He continued to stare at his beautiful daughter. The daughter who was now stuck as being nothing but a mere memory, belonging to a still picture. She was forever frozen in that position and he would never be able to see her display a range of emotions ever again. He painfully reminisced of a past when he was able to hold his daughter. It seemed so long ago that she was carefree and pure. "I swear I'll make him pay for taking you from this world my darling."

* * *

Liquid glared into the monitors angrily. He was inside a surveillance room, attempting to track down Zell's progress. "How in the bloody hell is he bypassing our thermal scanners?"

"It's strange. Fucker's got some kind of anti-heat sensing cooling system or something to the like." The Chief security guard spoke, studying the monitors carefully in deep thought. He was a man in his mid fifties and was well educated and respected when it came to matters of technology, particularly in audio and visual data. He sported a small white beard on his chin to complement the rest of his aging, mildly wrinkled face.

Liquid sighed in frustration. "What else did his bio say? Did you pick up any other data after I left?"

"Well, it's actually quite interesting sir." The Chief turned around excitedly for a moment. "

Liquid frowned dangerously, his patience wearing thin. "Out with it."

"SeeD boy here was so impressive as a soldier even in Garden that he was actually recommended for the FOXHOUND program it seems."

Liquid didn't find any of this fascinating at all, just highly irritating. "What?" He heard what the guard had said but didn't want to believe it. "What the fuck did you just tell me?"

The Chief appeared nervous for the first time. "Well... it just states that FOXHOUND was interested in his skills and wished to recruit him but it didn't work out for some reason. Shortly after that, he entered the Black Division at Garden. Reasons stated are unknown. I should mention however, have you ever heard of Dead Cell? Because he was on it."

"Dead Cell? Yes, vaguely."

"Well we dug this bit up exclusive to the bio and didn't get much. Apparently, Dead Cell is or was some kind of international anti-terrorist unit but it was supposedly disbanded for unstated reasons. Afterwards, he joined up with Garden. But something's strange is here."

Liquid gave off a grave scowl. "Don't test my patience." His voice soared with the coursing anger.

"Sorry sir, it's just that he isn't a standard run of the mill SeeD. This guy's probably used to high class clients."

"Meaning..." Liquid raised his voice even more threateningly, urging the Chief to get to the point.

The man appeared uncomfortable. "Meaning whoever hired him is either someone with a lot of wealth, power, or both. You're dealing with a well respected client here." The Chief turned back around in slight relief, inspecting the cameras on the wall.

Liquid contemplated the words for a moment before he picked up the vague file on the man in question and stared down at a photo of Zell housing a grim expression. His icy blue eyes seemed to come out of the page as Liquid gazed into them. With a look of disgust, the SARC leader picked up the picture and tore it to shreds before he threw the folder down on the floor and stomped over it as he strode out of the room.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Thanks for letting me know you're enjoying the story. I actually didn't realize I had anonymous reviews turned off so they're open now. This is the last update during the holiday break so I hope you folks like it.**


	10. Enter: Vise

**ENTER: VISE**

_I think you're trying to break me  
Seems so unreal  
Don't know how to take me  
Don't know how I feel  
_  
**Fool** by **God Lives Underwater**

His breathing was rapid and heavy, but controlled.

In the cold dilapidated cell, Laguna Loire lay on the poor excuse for a bed nailed to the wall. Lighting was extremely dim if one wished to be generous in describing the visual conditions at the moment. A simple faint candle itself would have been far more adequate at providing the area some luminance. The walls resembled those of ancient middle age architecture with numerous cracks and fissures running along in intricate patterns along the room that could easily entertain those seeking to follow their paths.

The stench of blood polluted the small room as numerous lacerations, swelling bruises and several broken bones outlined the current state of the President. Blood soaked up his pants but their black color hid the appearance. The rest of his bare body was smeared red, as if he had been doused in tomato paste. It was a sickening sight and he was merely a shell of his former self earlier that day.

Laguna squinted his eccentric, tired blue eyes and gazed at his bloodied aging hands, hands which led to the forging of a great and powerful nation. A nation that had been through its reasonably fair share of rocky patches en route to still waters. He had worked so hard to achieve prosperity, stability and respect for his citizens. But now, as with the past, his country's peaceful existence was being threatened once more by the power hungry and mad nation to the west. Laguna's brows creased, forming several deep horizontal lines on his forehead as his lengthy jet black hair fell over his face messily.

The delicate but plain gold ring on his finger was caressed by his free hand as he recalled a time when he had truly been happy. It would have been so simple to never vie for a political position in the first place. He would have escaped the overly demanding masses, the stress, the constant fatigue and the sharp, stinging criticism. Despite all his accomplishments, and for all the good he did for his people, it was always his failures that were brought up time and time again to scorn him and remind him of his flaws as both a political figure and as a man. At times, they made him feel incompetent and for every sharp verbal shot directed towards him, he simply wished he could step down and let weight pile up on the shoulders of another.

But no. For Laguna was a proud man despite the constant disapproval of his ministers. He had a duty and an obligation to his people, to take the situation and turn it for the better. He had made a promise long ago to Raine that he would never give up fighting for the peace and freedom that Estharians enjoyed today. Laguna never wished to see another endure seeing a loved one stripped away due to war and strife.

"I won't let it happen Raine..." His voice was barely above a whisper as it fought through the agonizing pain but seemed to echo powerfully within the small chamber.

He didn't know why he still wore the ring as it always allowed for the emergence of painful memories once more. Memories that made it hard to get by each passing day. But despite the pain, Laguna fought through it because in the end, it always came back to hope and this ring was a symbol of hope, getting him through the most exigent of times.

Laguna prayed that Ellone, wherever she may have been at the moment, was fine and safe. His prayers may have been in vain but hopefully, she hadn't been subject to the torture he had gone through in the past few hours. Torture that had sent his mind reeling and had made him judge his own sanity following the indecipherable screams of pain that rang throughout the area. She had been separated from him immediately after their arrival to the base and Laguna had spent the majority of his secluded time in the cell.

He could only guess how many minutes would pass this time so that he would have to 'think about it' as Liquid had so put it earlier before the dreaded Ocelot would return once more to commence his 'interrogation'.

'Sick fucker.' Laguna swore in his mind, attempting to clear his head of the excruciating pain. 'Just hang in there. Don't give them what they want. Hang in there old man.'

The dreadful feeling returned as the heavy cell door was opened from the outside with Ocelot walking in, his spurs producing a clicking noise on the hard ground. "So what have we decided on Mr. President? Are you ready to cooperate and end this nonsense?"

Laguna turned his head in pain, his body trembling and his face stained crimson, towards Ocelot. "Co- come closer so... so I can tell you..." He coughed and choked out some more blood as it dribbled down the side of his face.

Ocelot grinned sadistically and leaned in. "Yes Mr. President?" He sneered.

Laguna spat out the ball of blood directly at the gunman's face. "You're welcome. Enjoy?" Despite his afflicted state, he mustered a weak smile, grinning in satisfaction as Ocelot pulled up with annoyance.

Wiping his face with a cloth, Ocelot sighed in frustration, shaking his head. "You really don't learn do you? Why make this harder than it really is?" His gloved hand shot out unpredictably, clasping Laguna's neck in a firm chokehold. Ocelot pursed his lips as his eyes gazed intensely, with pure hatred at the bloodied man. "You want to play with me? You want to fucking play games all day Mr. President, we can play."

Laguna's eyes strained, making him appear as if he were crying, his weak bloodied hands desperately attempting to remove Ocelot's glove free from his throat. His legs shook uncontrollably as his face turned a deeper shade of red before Ocelot pulled away in disgust and walked out the door. Laguna sat up and coughed hoarsely, shooting out chunks of blood.

"Get him out of the cell and to the briefing hall." Ocelot's orders were quick as he disappeared from sight.

Two powerful and well built guards strode in and aggressively picked Laguna up by the armpits, dragging him out of the darkness and into the light once more. It was a welcome change for the moment.

* * *

Zell crawled through the ventilation shaft as stealthily as possible and approached a hatch up ahead. He stopped for a moment, letting out a long, slow breath before continuing forward until he was eye level with the opening. Peering through the mesh, all he could visibly discern was the bland and plain metal tiling several feet below.

He dug a pair of goggles with two optical sensors for each eye out and strapped them on. "Activate Advanced Infrared." His surroundings changed, morphing into several shades of fuzzy, rough grey as he scanned the room below for heat signatures through the duct. Several more sweeps indicated nothing as Zell removed the goggles. Checking the battery gauge on his suit, he took note that there would be no use of Stealth Camo or Stealth Logic anytime soon as the pack recharged. "Take your fucking time..." He muttered to the suit.

The hatch came open as a dark figure somersaulted through the air before landing in a perfect, nearly silent crouch. The Mark 23 immediately made its way out as the laser module was activated, producing a fine red line that danced along the walls. Zell's eyes moved at an extremely quick pace, taking in the scene.

The plain room seemed to be a form of command deck that had a large sliding metal door, connecting it to the hallway and a second brown metal door on the opposite end, leading up to the central control room. Several computer modules lined up the sides and there was a bare counter in the middle with absolutely nothing on it. It puzzled Zell.

With sights set on the brown door, Zell carefully snuck forward before a faint gasp prompted him to stop and turn around immediately.

There, approximately twenty feet away, was a young blonde woman with wavy hair. She easily looked to be in her twenties, if she wasn't a teenager to begin with. Unlike the rest of the personnel, she worse a white blouse and a black skirt, indicating she was possibly a civilian. Her right hand clutched her chest as her mouth was agape, her feet rooted to the spot and unable to move. A yellow manila folder was clenched tightly in her left hand and she began to tremble.

"Please-"

"Shut up!" Zell snarled bringing the weapon up and aiming the laser straight at her chest, no sympathy evident on his hostile face. How had she come in undetected? "Who are you working for?" Straight down to business.

"I-" She began to tremble more violently as tears emerged. "I- I-" It was as if she were a deer caught in between a set of headlights prior to being road kill.

"Don't toy with me woman." Zell's tone was icy to go along with his cold eyes.

"I-"

"Out with it!" Zell moved closer through a series of cautious steps, cocking his pistol.

That seemed to do the trick. "I'm here to del- deliver a file for someone." Her hand never left her chest as it tightly clutched her clean white blouse, producing wrinkles in the fabric.

"Who?" Zell's senses were on full alert as he constantly shot side glances towards the door to his rear.

"Liq- Liquid Snake." That was it. A silenced bullet ejected from the chamber of the Mark 23 as it pierced the breast plate of the young woman, sending her to the floor.

Showing absolutely no remorse and no sympathy, Zell turned and made his way towards the door without so much as a single glance back. He housed a completely stoic expression as he approached the door.

The look of indifference transformed to one of extreme discomfort and agony when a head-splitting ringing pain shot through the right side of his skull, as if someone was probing his brain with a serrated scalpel. The hard floor made contact with his knees as he dropped, clutching his head tightly with both hands in a desperate but futile attempt to rid himself of the mind numbing torment. The probing sensation felt worse by the second as if someone were literally digging inside his cerebrum.

'What the?' The only thought produced at the moment as his eyes closed the rest of the world off. 'Not now!'

'_Yes that's right. Open up and let others in. Let others dig through the shadows to uncover your secrets and your fears.'_ The faint voice wheezed in a ghostly manner. It was reminiscent of someone speaking while on life support.

'Get out of my head!' Zell had no time for this and needed to gain control but the pain was overwhelming. His body began convulsing violently, similar to one experiencing a seizure.

'_Unleash your fears and your emotions. Come to me..._'

Fighting through the muscles spasms and uncontrollable twitches, Zell concentrated. 'No.' With firm resolute, he willed everything away and just like that, his mind went blank as his eyes shot open, containing absolutely no emotion whatsoever. The spasms departed, the pain immediately subsiding, as if it had been sucked straight out of his head through a powerful vacuum.

The Black SeeD operative stood up once more, breathing deeply to clear his chest.

A faint beeping sound began to emit from inside a flap of the suit. Zell cursed as he dashed towards the bare counter, jumped on it and leapt off with great force to reach up and hang onto the open ventilation hole. Pulling himself up, he disappeared through the vent once more, throwing the hatch over top the opening, showing no indications of anyone ever having exited from above. The faint beeping sound seemed to broaden due to the restricted confines of the shaft, prompting Zell to shut off the communicator at the moment.

From below, the heavy brown metal door parted, giving way to Liquid and half a dozen security forces clad in arctic gear. The SARC leader halted immediately at the sight of the dead body of the young woman before him. The guards didn't need to be told as they all brought out assault rifles, adopting a defensive perimeter around their superior.

"Thermal sweep. Now." Liquid's harsh voice was commanding.

A guard brought out a mobile pad and initiated a scan. As Liquid secretly expected, the search result brought up nothing. "It's clean sir." The officer presented the data.

Liquid snatched the screen and smashed it to the floor with fury, stepping over it. "He's here! He's somewhere within the vicinity!" This silent foe was proving to be a bigger nuisance than he had originally anticipated.

"Yes sir…" The lead guard mumbled in fear, indicating for his men to hold the perimeter and await further orders.

As if on cue, Liquid's radio sounded. Snarling, he hastily reached inside his coat and brought out the miniature device, activating it. "Ocelot, it better not be you right now old man. I have no-"

"It's me." Came the wheezy, apparitional voice.

"What do you want?" Liquid frowned.

"He's directly above you, in the vents." The line on the other end went dead immediately as Liquid shut off the radio and appeared to look casual. From up above, Zell took notice of the unusual silence and wasn't fooled as he began to creep along, further away from the room, producing as little noise as possible.

"In the shaft. Open fire!" Liquid screamed like a madman. The sound of numerous gunshots collided with the thin metal of the shaft up above. Zell forgot about being stealthy and practically dashed on his knees and elbows along the narrow spacing.

The bullets continued to splatter the ventilation floor mimicking a thunderous shower of rain smashing into panes of glass on a stormy day. Despite that, from behind, Zell heard the duct slide open, prompting him to shoot a quick glance towards it. His blue eyes were just in time to spot a grenade thrown in and bounce off the roof before landing on the floor several meters behind. There wasn't enough time as the SeeD operative scrunched himself up into a ball, hugging his ankles and knees with his head tucked in, feet pointing towards the grenade.

A thunderous blast roared throughout the confines of the shaft as the fire came soaring towards him. Zell shut his eyes tightly and felt himself being carried forward through the momentum of the fireball, heat engulfing the lower part of his body. It was the equivalent of riding through a water slide at top speed only the transparent liquid had been replaced with intense smoldering flames in this case.

Liquid motioned for the guards to momentarily stop firing as the duct above warped and expanded in the way of a shockwave spreading outwards. They all watched in fascination as the expanding metal stretched out, carrying Zell inside a fair distance before the flames extinguished, bringing the operative to a sliding stop.

"Get up in there now!" Liquid fiercely ordered one of his men, who complied through a mere nod.

The soldier lifted himself up on the counter and jumped with extended arms, towards the open hatch. He hoisted the upper portion of his body through the hatch, his feet hanging in mid air for a moment.

The moment his faced lifted up to reveal the confines of the warm, smoke filled vent, the guard's eyes widened into tiny saucers. Registering a perched Zell from several feet away gripping a pistol aimed directly at his forehead, he panicked and struggled for a brief second, attempting to slide out and fall back down.

It was an attempt in vain as the silenced bullet left the chamber quickly without warning and connected with guard's forehead, causing his head to hurtle backwards.

From below, there was a brief silence followed by a rapid and sudden jerking of the body as his feet kicked out from underneath. The guard slipped out of the shaft, falling to the floor with a tremendous thud. A great bullet hole had imprinted itself within the lifeless man's forehead, complex lines of crimson flowing in every which way.

The horrified soldiers stared at the sight before them in disgust for moment, exchanging glances of confusion, fear and anger with one another afterwards. Finally, all eyes looked towards Liquid, who studied the fallen guard for a moment in contemplation, his mind seemingly elsewhere.

Calmly, completely betraying his emotions, he locked eyes with the leading officer and spoke in a tone far too calm and quiet for comfort. "Go and kill him already you dimwitted idiots." It was as if he'd already become far too tired to express further aggression and emotion at the moment.

Liquid sauntered out towards the large door connecting to the main hallway without saying another word, leaving the confused guards to deal with Zell on their own.

The officer in charge stepped forward, immediately taking a more proactive approach. "We got a bug in the shaft so let's blow it the fuck out." His men all sneered in amusement, nodding their approval. "Ok, you two," he motioned, "get inside the control deck and cut off the exit there.

The two men obliged, exiting through the brown metal door, leaving the commanding officer with two remaining guards at his disposal.

The control deck was a moderately sized room with rows and rows of computer panels situated around. The entire area shone from the glow of numerous LED lights as a wide array of screens displayed various readings, pictures and video feeds.

Stopping directly underneath the hatch leading into the area, the two soldiers stepped back in opposite sides and crouched, positioning their assault rifles towards the hole. Now all that was left to do was wait.

Several loud rumbles from grenades going off could be heard within for a full minute before coming to a stop. Another minute passed as the two patient men remained still, their gaze focused and their aim ready. It was then that the hatch was blown open as the warped piece of metal collided with the floor. Both men fired at will, the bullets emitting brilliant sparks as they lit up the insides of the dark shaft up above.

Following several seconds of continuous gunfire, the soldiers paused and waited for any signs of Zell from inside. When an entire uneasy three minutes of silence passed, the guards proceeded to stand up and make contact with the other team via radio.

That was until a small piece of metal was dropped out of the shaft, shattering the momentary silence upon impact with the ground.

"Sonic grenade!" It was all one sentry could shout before the compact ball of metal erupted into a low frequency, soundless wave of sharp decibel energy, engulfing the entire room.

A shockwave of transparent air protruded outwards, shattering every piece of glass in sight and popping all the lights in the room. Pieces of metal all throughout the area vibrated violently as the undetectable noise coursed its way through the area. The two guards immediately fell limp to the floor, their eyes frozen wide open and stained red. There was blood oozing out the sockets and profusely pouring out their mouths and ears.

The entire room was eerily silent save aside from the calm and faint harmonic resonance now permeating the area.

Several more minutes passed as the resonance faded before Zell's smoke covered head dipped out of the shaft, surveying the area cautiously. Spotting no one aside from the two internally damaged bodies of enemy sentries, he dove out of the shaft exit and somersaulted to his feet onto the ground.

The entire room, moments ago glowing from the visually dazzling lights and numerous screens now seemed completely dead and lifeless as broken glass lay everywhere.

Zell observed his surroundings, bringing out the Mark 23 once more as his eyes darted around desperately. He swept the area quietly, checking the panels for any signs or traces of info but to no avail. Every single screen had been shattered from the infrasonic wave.

"Activate Advanced Infrared." The words were quietly whispered as he strapped the goggles on, a world of fuzzy grays enveloping him once more. He scanned the area before setting his sights on the metal door leading to the room he had previously been in. "Fuck." The material was too thick, rendering the goggles virtually useless at the moment.

Carefully approaching the door, Zell checked the remaining battery life in his suit. It was good enough for half a minute's worth of camouflage. Deciding to take his chances and drawing in a sharp breath of air, Zell entered fully visible as the sliding metal door parted way at his close presence.

With Mark 23 out and the laser module targeting pointing straight ahead, Zell moved with lightning speed, not giving the guards occupying the area any time to react.

That was, if there were any active guards intact at the moment to begin with.

Zell's cold calculating eyes flashed as they took in the bodies of the three dead enemy soldiers on the floor. With furrowed brows and all in the span of a fraction of a second, he pulled back towards the door, immediately going for cover, adopting a defensive presence.

With Zell just inches from the parting metal door, a swift and powerful unseen sweep kick came from his right, knocking the Mark 23 pistol out of his hand and nearly taking his hand off. Zell recovered, ignoring the pain and was next to strike as his fist moved instinctively to knock the drawn USP weapon from the mysterious, bandana clad soldier.

The two men locked eyes for a very brief moment. Their blue orbs exchanging mixed feelings of uncertainty, surprise, apprehension, frustration and above all, a serene calmness within.

Squall studied the man ahead of him, immediately taking notice of the black leather attire, thus leading him to believe this was no ordinary soldier he was dealing with. Moving forward, Squall took the aggressive approach, hoping to capture his foe in a body lock and possibly get him to spill any possible information.

Zell's eyes narrowed as Squall flew in with blistering speed. This was an outsider. That Zell knew for sure for none of the sentries here displayed such fluid speed and technique. The dark navy blue suit also gave it away.

Squall's right fist came in towards Zell's solar plexus before shooting up with superhuman speed towards his throat at the last moment. Nearly caught off guard, the Black SeeD operative parried the powerful blow with a left backhand, sending the fist to his left as his opponent's own left closed in towards his jaw. Not having enough time to bring his right hand to block the hook, he pulled his head away just far enough to receive a portion of the punch.

Regardless of the partial contact, the blow stung, leaving Zell tasting the familiar and sweet metallic tinge of iron in his mouth. Spitting out the blood, Zell fell back as Squall continued to shower him with an onslaught of lethal fists, all raining down on the Black operative's arms that moved to successfully block each blow.

Zell grinded his teeth together as he focused. He couldn't reach into any of his flaps for a weapon. His opponent was smart and cut off his lane, keeping him within close proximity to maximize fighting efficiency.

'Close quarters combat.' Zell recognized the style and frowned in between a flurry of punches from Squall. CQC was a highly specialized fighting style reserved only for top ranking military officers. He was perplexed by the mysterious fighter. A missed left elbow by Squall allowed Zell to launch himself back, giving the two a brief short space.

Zell used the short pause to draw out a secondary pistol. He nearly succeeded before it was knocked away by a quick chop to the hands. Squall didn't wait as he charged in, completely focused and alert, all the while curious as to who his opponent was as well. His curiosity only peaked as Zell began to intercept the strikes and apply pressure with some complicated footwork, attempting to trip Squall. The Black SeeD operative had begun to adopt CQC as well and this intrigued him.

Squall was now laying a lethal assault on Zell's upper body as his eyes danced to the rhythm of his blurring punches, tracking the movement of each fist. His feet automatically moved, knees colliding with those of his foe as the two both remained stable, dancing a deadly motion.

Zell attempted close quarter kicks and side sweeps while keeping his arms up as shields. Stealing a quick glance, his eyes caught the focused ones of Squall, which seemed to be following the path of the punches. Taking the opportunity, Zell tucked his head and sent it forward with great force in a split instant, smashing it into Squall's exposed chest.

The impact drew the FOXHOUND operative's eyes to the lock of yellow hair underneath his chin as the two men grabbed onto each other's wrists before Zell charged forward and smashed Squall's back forcefully into a wall.

Pulling his head back and looking up, Zell was just in time to receive a powerful head butt crashing into his own forehead, momentarily stunning and blurring his vision. He kept his grip on Squall's wrists strong and brought his head to the side of Squall's neck in the form of a boxing hug for a moment's safety. In that time, Zell shot a right knee towards the midsection of his pinned opponent but Squall, despite being tangled up, effortlessly intercepted the blow with his own left thigh.

Regaining his composure from the strike to the head, Zell violently ripped his right arm free from Squall's grasp and sent it rocketing straight at his opponent's face. Squall barely dodged the blur of a fist, ducking, as it collided heavily with the wall behind. With Zell momentarily vulnerable and open, Squall threw a low uppercut jab into the abdomen of the other warrior, sending him reeling backward.

Squall came in fast and hard once more as Zell's head shot up from the temporary relapse. He wasn't quick enough as Squall ducked a powerful right cross and swiftly moved behind him, wrapping both arms around the armpits of the SeeD fighter and locking them around the back of his neck, catching Zell in a full nelson hold. Squall then attempted to kneel down in hopes of bringing his opponent along with him to a more vulnerable position.

Zell happily complied but with his own interest in mind as he dropped instantly after the hold was established. Falling down onto his rear, Zell pulled a surprised Squall along with him, who maintained his tight grip but lost his own balance and positioning. In that instant, the Black SeeD soldier extended his arms up and slipped free from the hold, grabbing onto Squall's neck tightly and flipping him over his head and towards the door.

Squall sailed through the air and collided upside down with his back to the door before rapidly twisting himself around in mid air, landing on his feet in a crouch.

Pulling a hidden GLOCK 39 pistol out of flap, Zell shot up and proceeded to aim before a sharp bullet from Squall's now visible PX4 Storm ricocheted off the pistol, sending it flying and leaving Zell unarmed.

"That's enough! Hands up in the air…now!" Squall was furious, his brows contorted into a mixture of anger and impatience. Zell cocked his head to the side but kept his arms elevated at his waist for a moment, contemplating his options. "Don't try it!" Squall barked, taking a step closer yet remaining absolutely composed and in complete control.

"Or what?" Zell continued to stall for time.

Squall cocked the hammer, his gaze burning. "You wanna find out?"

Zell chuckled but brought his arms up slowly, an amused expression on his face. "Nifty moves. I like. Very impressive."

"Who the fuck are you?" Squall's mind was racing but outside, he maintained calmness.

"Private contract." Zell wasn't about to reveal his information to anyone. Certainly not to a stranger he'd just met through hostile means.

"What private contract? Who the fuck are you? Answer my question when I talk to you understand?"

"Classified." Zell's lips parted, giving way to a faint smile. He enjoyed seeing his opponent frustrated at the moment.

Squall fired off a shot, purposely aimed right above the right shoulder blade of the SeeD operative. It sailed through the air, leaving a faint trail of wind as it grazed the leather padding of the suit. "Next one won't miss I can promise you that."

"Then go for it. You do what you have to do and I do what I'm supposed to."

"And what is that?" Squall spat out impatiently.

"I told you. It's classified. Fucking got a listening problem?" Zell's expression was now stoic as his eyes glared at the FOXHOUND operative.

"Get down on your knees now. Hands behind your back." Squall's own eyes were cold.

"Either shoot me or get the fuck out of my way. I'm not staying around for this shit." Zell took a step forward and stopped abruptly after a loud gunshot. Looking down, he spotted a small bullet hole to the right side of his right pectoral, just above the armpit. He glanced up with a slight look of anger but his calm expression stood. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"What the fuck does it look like?" Squall sent a murderous glare towards his opponent, raising his gun up higher, towards Zell's head. "I'm shooting like you asked."

"So then finish it. Don't stall now. It's over before you know it." Zell nodded, indicating for him to continue.

A sharp ringing pain coursed through Squall's head at that instant. He lost all feeling in his now trembling hands as the pistol fell, the FOXHOUND soldier dropping to the floor in agony clutching his head.

* * *

"_It'll be over before you know it." Rinoa spoke excitedly from the couch. "Come on Squall! Hurry up before you miss it!"_

_Squall stared into the mirror inside the bathroom, eyeing his hardened face and the stubble to go along with it. The last mission had left him fatigued and completely drained. He had taken enough lives today to haunt him for eternity. It would be another painful night of restless torture as the images of the men killed danced around in his head endlessly. They were simply people caught in the middle of the entire ordeal but had to be taken care of. It was the only way. There were no alternative options._

_There were never alternative options in this game. It was do or die and they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time._

_Opening the faucet, Squall dipped his hands under the extremely cold biting water and savored the feeling. He was washing away his sins, if only temporarily and it was refreshing at the moment. His eyes were fixated on the spiraling water before it ran into the hole, to disappear through a complex system of pipes carrying it elsewhere._

_The water could escape its current plight and travel away. It could flee, eluding the constraints of the sink at that particular moment. But not Squall. For he was glued to his current predicament, forever trapped. It was a complex system consisting of heavy burden, chronic guilt and endless regret._

_But then, if all the job constituted were a series of hardships, why did he continue? Why did he continue to struggle through it all and mentally suffer when one could simply walk away and move on, leaving the horrors to the hands of others. Simple. He knew the answer but didn't want to admit it to himself. It would only make him out to be more of a monster than he already was._

_He could lie to himself all he wanted but the fact of the matter was simple. Squall enjoyed the thrill of taking another life in combat. He relished the opportunity. He couldn't deny himself and who he was. He couldn't deny his murderous nature. His job only gave him an excuse to satisfy the carnivorous appetite and quench his thirst for blood._

_It was a half empty, half full type of feeling every day. The hunger would be satisfied but at the expense of extreme remorse afterwards. Some truly didn't deserve it but it had to be done._

_He had killed two children today. They were infants of the terrorist leader in question and the son of a bitch had tied both his young daughter and son to him, using them as hostages and negotiating pieces. It was an effort in vain as Squall mercilessly shot them all down without second thought. There were no negotiations for terrorists in his book._

_The feeling of guilt was gnawing at his insides now, overcoming the painfully numbing sensation from the icy water crashing into his hands. He continued to stare down at the water in fascination, as if caught in a trance._

"_Squall!" Rinoa's voice cut through the euphoric state he was in, heightening his dampened senses and bringing him back to reality. Her face was etched with worry and confusion as she stared down at his blue hands. "What are you doing? Look at your hands, they're freezing!"_

_The brown haired male stoically gazed at the perfect face of the concerned woman next to him. "I'm fine." But he wasn't, she simply had no idea and never would either. "I'm fine just leave me alone."_

"_No Squall." Rinoa protested, taking his icy hands in hers to rub against as she turned the tap waiting for warm water to appear. "No it's not okay. Honey what's wrong with you? I've been calling you for the past five minutes. Why won't you talk to me? Are you okay? Everything at the office all right?"_

_She simply had no idea._

"_I said I'm fine damnit." Squall snatched his hands free and turned to walk out of the bathroom. He nearly succeeded stepping out before two small hands wrapped around his left bicep. Turning around angrily, Squall came face to face with an equally furious Rinoa._

"_What is wrong with you?" She cried softly, tears threatening to spill. "Why are you always like this? You never talk to me. Just talk to me and let me know what's bothering you… please." She pleaded the last part._

_Squall could do nothing but stare for a moment, attempting to calm the powerful emotions surging inside. "Let go Rinoa. Not now."_

"_No Squall. I'm not letting go. You have to let me in. You always do this." Rinoa studied him passionately, her voice still soft but wavering._

_The anger, combined with all the accumulated pain from earlier was slowly surfacing but Squall had trained himself to contain it to the best of his ability. "I said not now Rinoa. I'm not in the fucking mood."_

_Rinoa snapped. "Then when are you in the fucking mood? You're never in the fucking mood!" She yelled hysterically, her chest heaving violently._

_The next moment was both a blur and a surprise to the raven haired beauty as a heavy open fist from Squall's right hand struck her in the face powerfully, sending the woman tumbling to the floor. Rinoa let out a cry of anguish and sobbed loudly as she gazed up at the man before her in fear and shock. Her lip was torn wide open, exposing fresh blood with her nose trickling crimson as well. Covering her open mouth with her hand, she continued to sob, the tears mixing with the blood. The wound stung upon making contact with the salty water._

_Squall, now free of her hold, gazed down at the woman before him indifferently, showing absolutely no signs of regret or pity. "I fucking told you to leave me alone. When I tell you to leave me alone, you fucking listen! Understand?" His voice continued to rise higher and higher as he spoke. _

_After a moment's pause, he stepped forward, towering over Rinoa. The young female quickly cowered back, towards the wall of the bathtub, curling up into a small ball in an attempt to cover her body from any further possible harm. Squall's breathing was loud and uneven as his right arm was raised high, ready to strike. He continued to gaze down at the vulnerable woman ahead._

_Rinoa held the fetal position for a moment longer and when nothing happened, she snuck her head out, locking tear stained eyes with Squall._

_The two both stared at each other silently for several moments, a moment of uncertainty passing by before Squall dropped his hand limply to his side, shaking his head slowly in frustration._

_With that, he quickly exit the bathroom and then the apartment building as Rinoa heard the slamming of the door shut._

* * *

Squall's body twitched sporadically on the floor as his tightly shut eyes revealed great pain and turmoil within.

Several feet away, Zell watched on as he felt the familiar probing sensation from before attack him for a second, only to disappear. Shaking his head, he stepped forward, stopping directly in front of Squall. He glared down at the figure below him for a moment before he went over to retrieve his fallen pistols. After successfully fastening two of them in their place, with Mark 23 in hand, Zell came to Squall again and crouched next to his face, studying the painful expression attentively.

A familiar low beeping sound was set off from behind his neck, prompting Zell to answer the radio. "Yeah? You got a secure line."

"Always." Came the old raspy voice on the other end.

"David, I got a little situation. I ran into someone."

"Yeah? And?" The voice on the other end sounded confused.

Zell sighed. "And I'm staring at him right now." He continued to eye the tightly shut eyes and clenched jaw.

There was a brief pause before the man spoke quickly. "Everything all right? Are you- are you caught? I'm going to-"

"Relax." Zell spoke calmly. "He's on the floor right now."

"Why didn't you dispose of him? Who is he?"

"I was figuring maybe you could tell me. He's wearing some navy blue sneak suit. Thermal I'm guessing and he's got a matching bandana on his head. You know him?"

The man on the other end was silent for a while before ushering quietly. "No…" Zell didn't believe him however but remained silent. "What's his status?"

"I think he just suffered an attack. Mantis' been going at it for a while now. He went after me a while earlier too. I don't think this guy was ready. Hell of a fighter though." It was true. The man before him had displayed tremendous skill and although he wouldn't admit it; had gotten the best of him. "But then, that means this guy isn't with them."

"Okay then, so Mantis is aware of what's happening. Vise, your mission objective remains the same. Get to Mantis and eliminate him. He poses too great a threat now, more than ever." The voice was sharp and quick now, no longer pausing from time to time. It contained a sudden sense of urgency.

Zell nodded to himself. "Copy that. And what should I do with this guy? Want him iced or just leave him? Don't know who he's working for if it's not for Liquid."

"No." The voice was more urgent now than before. "Vise listen to me. I know it won't make sense but I need you to get him to safety now and out of harm's way."

Zell's eyes shot up towards the wall as his face contorted into an unsure frown. "What? Why?"

"He could prove to be an invaluable asset. Disarm him and get him up. An ally now is more important than ever."

"You know I work alone. There are no allies in my field." Zell didn't like where this was going.

"Vise, as your client, I'm ordering you to side with this man. If he hasn't died yet, it just goes further to show that he has skill."

Zell grit his teeth together in frustration. "I don't even know his allegiance David. He could pose a threat."

"Which is why you'll disarm him and extract information from him at first. If he proves to be a threat afterwards, then contact me and we'll go over it. Until then, do everything in your power to get him to talk." Zell sighed out loud, shutting his eyes for a moment in disbelief. "Vise? Vise do you copy?"

"Yeah… I copy. Out."

Placing the radio back behind him once more, he studied the suffering Squall for a moment further before he proceeded in disarming him.

* * *

A jolt of pain shot through Squall's head, this one far more different than the one being experienced over the course of the past few minutes. This one felt like a blow to the head.

Opening his eyes as they adjusted to the light, his blurry vision had to settle as he spotted his opponent from before fall back, unclenching his fist. The fist he had just used to strike Squall in the face with.

"You awake?"

Shaking his head further to rid himself of the disorientation, Squall found himself lying on the floor and proceeded to immediately shoot up, adopting a fighting stance.

Zell fell back far enough, pulling out the Mark 23, the red dot from the laser bouncing on Squall's chest. "Easy. Easy buddy. Stay calm and breathe."

Squall was furious and at the same time confused as to what had happened. One moment he remembered having his gun pointed at the man ahead and the next, the tides had turned. He had no choice but to oblige to his captor, remaining still. "What the fuck happened?" The words were angrily snarled.

The SeeD operative studied Squall for a moment carefully, keeping his gun firmly pointed ahead. "You suffered an attack. Guess you aren't one of them then huh?"

"Them?" Squall echoed, completely dumbfounded at the moment. "Who the fuck are you and what're you talking about?"

Zell chewed on the side of his lip for a moment, studying the FOXHOUND agent in the eyes for any traces of a lie. "You really have no idea do you?" He chuckled briefly, lowering his weapon.

Squall took notice and eyed Zell suspiciously, questioning the man and why he had let his guard down. "About what? Who are you?"

"I told you. I'm a private contract. But if what you're asking is whether or not I'm working for Liquid then the answer is no. I'm not." Zell came forward, gun by his side. "Now, I answered a question. Your turn. Who're you?"

Squall gazed fiercely. "Classified." He mocked after a moment's thought.

Zell let out a sardonic grin and fell back, leaning up against the wall. "I see. Won't tell me huh? That's fine as long as you're against these guys as well."

Squall visibly looked confused now as he cocked his head slightly to the side. "You still haven't told me what you're talking about."

Sighing, the Black SeeD warrior glanced past Squall. "You just fell earlier. Probably had a vision, yeah?" Drawing a short nod, he continued. "Well that was because you received a mental attack from Psycho Mantis."

"Psycho Mantis?" Squall gazed ahead in doubt and confusion, trying to make sense of everything.

"Guessing you've never heard of him then." Zell pushed himself away from the wall. "Psycho Mantis. SARC's leading officer of paranormal affairs. He's a telepath."

Squall unconsciously let out a short grunt of amusement. "You must be joking?" He glared hard at Zell. "You're fucking kidding me. A telepath? What the fuck kind of shit is this?"

"What, you think I'm lying to you? Why the hell do you think what happened to you right now did in fact occur? What did you think it was?"

Squall shook his head, dismissing the idea. "No. If that's the case, then why didn't anything happen to you."

At this, Zell cracked a smile. "Because that's where I come in. I've been hired specifically to deal with him."

"Hired by whom?"

"Classified." Zell continued on with the charade, smiling wryly. "Let's just say however, that my client has requested that I deal with the extermination of a certain pest. In this case, it's Mantis. Don't know why and don't care. I'm only here to do my job. Was doing a pretty damn good one as well before you waltzed in and went all close quarters combat on me."

Squall dropped his eyes for a moment thinking. "Close quarters combat. You know it too. Who are you? Who do you work for? You can't be a SeeD."

Zell did his best to hide the instant astonishment at Squall's keen perceptiveness. "Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. That's not important at the moment."

"Who're you working for? Who's your client?" Squall abruptly cut in.

"Shit, will you shut the fuck up for a second with the questions and let me talk?" Zell shouted. Upon Squall's now quiet demeanor, he continued. "Initially, I didn't realize that you were exclusive of this terrorist operation, not that you gave me much of a chance earlier either. Regardless, this goes completely against my protocol but if you're up against these guys as well for whatever the hell reason, then we might as well partner up for the time being."

Squall shot an eyebrow up in question. "Partner up?"

Zell nodded, keeping the true reasons behind it and the call from earlier sealed at the moment. "The way I see it, it's both your and our best bet. Common enemy, think of it as a common goal."

"My goal isn't the same as yours. Up until now, I've never even heard of this Psycho Mantis." Squall was still extremely suspicious of the man before him and didn't want to take any chances.

"Well then it seems that whatever intel you're getting to do this op isn't good enough if they decided to leave him out. Especially considering how dangerous he is." Zell continued to stare with a serious gaze, eyes lacking emotion.

"How the hell can I trust you?" Squall began, taking note of how ridiculous this all sounded.

"You can't." Zell clarified. "That's the point, we're both going to have to go on a whim here and take a chance. But let me tell you something, if you suffer another attack again and I'm not around, there's nothing you can do to stop it. Lights out."

Squall studied Zell as the leather clad soldier carefully approached him. With clenched fists, the FOXHOUND operative was ready in case of anything but stopped short as Zell produced the silenced USP Tactical with his left hand, putting it forward for Squall to take.

The brown haired man stared at the open palm of his earlier foe for a brief moment, millions of random thoughts and variables flashing around in his head. There was nothing indicating he could trust him at all and he had to contact Snake to reveal all this to him but now, at this vulnerable moment, it was not an option. A voice inside his head told him not to reveal his identity to the man before him just yet and so he remained guarded.

With a final heavy breath of uncertainty, Squall reached out and retrieved his pistol, checking it to make sure all the bullets were inside. Looking up, he locked eyes with Zell as the two men shared a moment of truce, emotions flowing to and fro.

"All right, we'll do this… for now." Squall stated, his gaze icy but no longer hostile.

Zell nodded several times before brushing past Squall. He stopped when their shoulders briefly made contact, turning his neck back for a moment. "The rest of your stuff is on the counter." He walked off towards the control deck. "Oh, and sorry about the punch earlier."

Squall ignored the last sentence and made his way towards the bare counter, stepping over the fallen guards. He retrieved the confiscated Beretta's and various gadgets as well as a .40 Walther P99 pistol, placing them all back in their respective flaps. He turned around and spotted Zell studying the door leading to the hallway. Perhaps Squall could work with him for the time being. After all, the man could have indeed taken him out during that brief episode of pain earlier.

And just what was that anyways? The painful vision had chilled him to the bones. He needed answers from Snake about the supposed telepath Psycho Mantis. It astonished Squall how the agency had neglected to inform him of anything about that matter. Maybe Zell was in fact lying and Squall would indeed have to keep a close eye on him during the course of their venture. He couldn't trust anybody and would have to be on high alert. Already the entire mission was unfolding to be far more than he originally anticipated.

"Hey by the way," Zell's voice cut through his thoughts, "you can call me Vise. What about you?"

Vise. Vise? Where had he heard that name before. Squall tried hard to recollect his thoughts but nothing surfaced at the moment. Pausing briefly, he stared at the man ahead before replying. "Leon. You can call me Leon."

* * *

**Author's Notes: Hey thanks for all the reviews and support folks. It's nice to hear that people are enjoying my story. **


	11. Origins: Snare

**ORIGINS: SNARE**

_True intentions are not  
__Predisposed to our fears  
__Searching without a cause_

**Predisposed** by **Ill Nino**

"Yes?"

"It's me."

"Irvine? Why are you calling?"

The 6'4", 211 lb sandy white haired man took several large strides to the other side of the corridor, peeking out from the side and into the hall. "We got a situation."

"Why is it that all of you have troubling news to tell me?" Caraway snarled through the phone.

He brushed the threatening tone off. "It's bad. You ever heard of Vise?"

Caraway let out a long breath. "Unfortunately, yes. I was informed of his presence earlier. In fact, now's a perfect time to talk to you about him."

At this, Irvine was surprised. "What? Why didn't you let me know he was in this facility earlier?"

"Don't forget who's in charge here Kinneas." The threatening tone was now sharper. "You take orders from me and I'll give you whatever information I wish to share, is that understood?"

Caraway couldn't see Irvine's grim yet impatient expression. "Crystal."

"Good. Now, is that why you called?"

"Primarily." Irvine continued to scout the area before he crept over to an adjacent corridor, positioning himself in a crouch. "What did they tell you about him so far?"

"I spoke to Liquid. He gave me his back history. Mostly classified. You're a SeeD. What do you know about him?"

Irvine snorted in amusement. "Probably as much as you do General."

"You're both from the same fucking military branch!" Caraway incredulously shouted.

Irvine maintained his calm composure as he waited for his superior to calm down on the other end. "General, he's in the Black Operations Division. It's restricted and classified even for regular SeeD personnel. I don't know a thing about him. I don't even have his real name."

Caraway began hesitantly. "Irvine, this man was part of my Blue Arrow squad."

Now it was Irvine's turn to shout. "You've gotta be fucking kidding me?"

"Defected to Balamb right after the war with Esthar several years ago."

Irvine thought for a moment. "Then you can track him and log his profile from back then."

"No Irvine. We tried that just now but backlogs don't have anything on him. Someone's hacked into the archives and permanently deleted his file." Caraway thought for a moment. "You're sure you don't know anything further about him?"

"If I did General, I'd be telling you right now wouldn't I?"

"Well that's perfect." Caraway spat sarcastically. "Just plain perfect. Well, if you have nothing else important to-"

Irvine cut him off. "General, I called because of a situation involving him." He didn't appreciate what he was about to divulge, fully aware that his superior commander would explode at the news.

"What situation?" Caraway asked icily, already anticipating the bad news.

"Well…" Irvine paused, bracing himself for the inevitable furious reaction. "Him and Acid Snake have paired up it seems. They're working as a duo."

There was a heavy sigh on the other end of the phone. "Will you tell me what the fuck is going on?"

"You know Psycho Mantis?" Irvine questioned.

"Isn't he one of Liquid's officers?" Caraway asked impatiently.

"Yeah exactly. They're going to ice him. I think this Vise is a private contract. Someone's in on this."

To his surprise, the line on the other end seemed virtually devoid of any life as all was heard was the faint crackling of the familiar static for a continuous amount of time.

Irvine pursed his lips and examined his gloved left hand as he awaited a response. Finally, the familiar impatient and spiteful tone spoke once more. "Irvine… Don't fucking disappoint me. You're my best underground agent. I took you in as I did with the others before you. Don't make the same mistake they did. Don't disappoint me…" The last words were ushered in a chilling whisper as the line went dead, the call terminating abruptly.

Clicking his tongue, the SeeD operative punched in another number as the monotonous ringing continued onwards for a good ten seconds. He frowned, suspicious as to why the phone wasn't being answered. It wasn't like her not to pick up her radio.

He cancelled the call and tried a second time, resulting in the same continuous and unanswered ringing.

Irvine put the phone away, thinking for a moment. He strode over towards a door, producing a key card in the process. Swiping it through the access terminal, he was granted passage as a faint click was heard followed by a displacement of air.

Stepping inside, he glanced around the small storage room, several crates piled up along the side. Directly above was a hatch leading through a ventilation shaft. He smirked and took out his phone again.

He dialed a second number and paused for a moment before bringing it to his ear.

The monotonous ringing died when a voice on the other end sprang to life. "What do you want Snare?" The old voice snarled.

Irvine chuckled bitterly. "Ocelot, what's your status?"

"You're not supposed to be calling me. Why are you calling me? We have strict orders from the General."

Irvine nodded. "Yeah, yeah. Listen, Acid Snake has teamed up with the operative Vise."

"I'm aware." Came the icy response.

Irvine raised an eyebrow at this but chose not to press the matter further. "What's your status? Is the President talking?"

Ocelot laughed hoarsely through the other line. "His lips are sealed. But not for long. Resistant for an old bat. I have to hand it to him."

Irvine narrowed his voice dangerously. "Watch it Ocelot. Don't fucking kill him before we get the codes."

"You watch who you're talking to Snare." Ocelot spat back. "You may be on the General's top ranked unit but don't forget who's in charge of that unit here."

Irvine ignored the threat. He'd already dealt with one and wasn't in the mood to take a second jab. "I want to see him."

"What? The President? Not a chance Snare."

"I want to see him. Maybe I can get something out of him. I think he needs to see a fresh new face."

Ocelot was adamant with his initial response. "I said not a chance."

"How about I call the General then and propose to him the idea that you're purposely delaying receiving the launch codes?"

Ocelot was quiet for a moment. "If you do it, it'll have to be covert. Liquid can't see you walking around."

"Naturally." Irvine scoffed. "Since when do I do anything that isn't covert?"

"You're a SeeD as well so I don't fully trust your technique Snare."

Irvine frowned. "Fuck you old man."

Again, the chilling, hoarse laughter on the other end permeated through the receiver and to Irvine's ears, eliciting a further scowl from the younger man. "I'm in the large auditorium hall of the upper section of E3. How you get here isn't my problem Snare. Whether you do it or not without being see isn't my concern either. I'm giving you this opportunity. You have thirty minutes to get here. If you're not, your window of opportunity has closed. Do I make myself clear?"

Contemplating his options for a moment, Irvine finally responded. "Yes. Astutely clear." He terminated the radio call and stared down at the floor for a moment before making up his mind.

Without wasting any more time, Irvine stacked several crates and tore off the hatch, pulling himself up and in before traveling along the narrow confines of the ventilation shaft.

* * *

"Psst… Selphie. Can you hear me?" The concerned and familiar sounding voice cut through her deep slumber, prompting her to shoot her eyes wide open.

The irritating fumes of ammonia reached her nostrils, immediately bringing her back to a conscious state. The young SeeD female sat up quickly, far too quickly for comfort as a rush of pain and disorientation rushed throughout her head, forcing her back down.

"Oh…" She breathed out weakly, clutching the right side of her skull with a free hand, gently rubbing the area in futile attempt to ease the aggravation. She was caught in a daze and her mind registered blank at the moment as she fought to remember what had transpired earlier.

A gloved hand caressed her cheek, brushing several strands of hair out of the way. "Selphie, are you all right? Answer me please." The voice was familiar to her. Familiar and soothing for she often found comfort in the person the voice belonged to.

Mustering her strength, she opened her eyes, squinting over the light in the room, and peered straight up at the person she was gladder to see than anyone at the moment. "Irvine…" She breathed out before fluttering her eyelids several times. A tiny smile encompassed her now bruised and swollen face.

Mustering her strength, Selphie carefully sat up on the bed, still feeling a nauseating rush sweep through her. Irvine caught her in his arms before she could collapse once more and carefully lifted her to his level, clutching her tightly and comfortingly, stroking her back repeatedly. She responded by wrapping her arms around his neck, pressing her face against his chest.

Immediately after the affectionate embrace, she began to sob uncontrollably, silently at first, before giving way to audible weeping. The taller man did his best in his attempts to comfort her, constantly stroking her back as he let her continue crying for several minutes.

"Shh… It's all right Selphie. I'm here sweetie don't worry." He continued to whisper soothing words into her ear as she slowly relaxed.

"Irvine…" She began, slowly calming down. Pulling her face away from his chest, she gazed up at him with tear stained eyes. Her emerald orbs penetrated his own green ones as the two shared a serene moment simply gazing at one another.

Irvine was the first to break the silence. "Selphie," he began, gently bringing a thump up to stroke her purple cheek, "what happened? Who did this to you?"

A dry sob escaped the smaller woman's mouth before she swallowed heavily in an attempt to regain her composure. "Irvine… Irvine you won't believe it…"

He frowned in confusion. "Selphie, please tell me what happened hon." His voice continued to hold a comforting tone.

Selphie looked away to the side as she spoke, vividly and painfully recollecting the events earlier. "Irvine, SeeD sent another. It's Vise. From the Black Division. He's here." She didn't see the brief flash of anger and frustration taking place on her companion's face. Tearing her wistful gaze away from the wall, she looked back up at his now impassive expression. "Irvine? He… he attacked me." She began to break down emotionally once more, whatever composure she had worked to attain over the past few minutes shattering immediately.

He pulled her close towards her body once more, allowing her face to nestle into his clothing. "Honey, I promise he won't ever hurt you or come near you again."

Selphie was overloaded with confusion, astounded as to why a member of her own unit would openly lash out against her especially when he had been aware of her affiliation. "Irvine…" She removed her face away a second time to glance up at him once more, "why do you think he's doing this? I mean, is he actually working with these terrorists?" A mixture of fearful emotions swirled around inside her sparkling eyes.

Irvine shook his head, staring straight ahead in contemplation. "I don't know Selphie. I honestly don't know." He looked down at her passionate expression, inwardly feeling a tinge of sympathy before immediately dismissing it. "I need to know though, did he say anything to you?" He brought his gloved hands to both sides of her cheeks, caressing them tenderly.

Selphie shook her head slowly. "No…" She paused for a minute to reflect. "No, nothing. He didn't say anything."

Irvine nodded absentmindedly, his eyes momentarily staring right through her. "Nothing at all…" His gaze transfixed back on hers. "You're sure he didn't mention anything at all? Nothing about what he might be doing or anything like that?" He continued to eye her sharply.

Again, she shook her head, her eyes deep in thought. "He dropped from the hatch and assaulted me. I thought he was going to…"

"Rape you…" Irvine finished softly, his tone containing a certain tenderness and degree of sympathy.

The young female SeeD shut her eyes tightly as trickles of tears slipped out and trailed down her cheeks and onto his gloved fingers. Immediately, she opened her eyes once more to stare at the man who gave her comfort, to assure her that she would indeed be okay. "But I'm all right now Irvine. I'm all right because you're here."

He nodded once, face stoic and devoid of emotion. "You're a good girl Selphie. You've really made me proud." His hands slowly moved away from her face and underneath her armpits before sliding up to the back of her neck. He leaned in carefully, his lips inching towards hers. "You're tough and I admire that. Thank you."

Selphie didn't smile right away, her face twitching from a perplexed look to one of passivity. She wasn't entirely sure what Irvine was really getting at but complied to his intimate intentions nonetheless.

She felt his lips make contact with hers and relished the warm, welcoming feeling. At the same moment, Selphie also felt his hands snake up her back, gently wrapping around her neck. They slowly rubbed and massaged the area as they continued to kiss. Feeling his weight pushing her backwards, she complied as her body was thrust up against the wall, his own pressing into hers.

All the memories of earlier began to dissipate as she experienced a moment of pure bliss during such a time of dread. She knew the moment was inappropriate but this was much needed. With closed eyes, she craftily guided her hands up and down his chiseled chest and abdomen as she explored the area eagerly through her sense of touch.

The pleasurable feeling faded for her as she felt the hands massaging her neck tighten around the area, restricting her air flow and eliciting her to open her eyes wide in shock. With his lips still on hers, Selphie couldn't see much from the close proximity as his grip strengthened, inducing more pain for her.

The blood in her head began to trap from the constriction of circulation and based on instinct, she brought her hands up desperately and pushed his face away from her lips.

Irvine pulled his face back as her petite hands fell, revealing a slight faint smile etched on his lips. His eyes were no longer warm or tender, instead seeming distant and completely emotionless. He gazed calculatingly at the trembling woman pinned up against the wall, studying her face as it took on a reddish and then purple hue due to the lack of oxygen.

I- Ir- Irvi –vine…" She stuttered and choked out violently with bloodshot eyes, her hands attempting to feebly pry his off her neck.

"Shh…" Irvine pursed his lips and whispered soothingly to her, his grip growing more and more powerful by the second. "It'll be all right my darling."

A series of several short grunts and moans escaped her lips at the same time. Selphie began to quiver uncontrollably and thrashed her feet around in a desperate attempt to kick him and free herself. Her effort was in vain as the far more powerful and larger man maintained his unwavering position. He thrust his lower body forward, hips and legs pinning her own.

She was immobile and with watery red eyes, peered at him weakly as her life slowly slipped past, hurt more so by his sudden betrayal than the forceful chokehold. She blinked tiredly several times, fatigue enveloping her and tempting her to simple succumb to the darkness. A hoarse, broken cry escaped her trembling lips as she gave up on trying to use her hands to pry his away. The young female weakly brought her hands to Irvine's neck, in a futile attempt to choke him.

Irvine smiled softly at her attempt and her courageousness. "My good girl. Be my good girl Selphie." He continued to whisper. "I adore you sweetie. I adore you but now it's time to say goodbye. Time to say goodbye." He nibbled at her ear while the whispered words escaped his lips.

Selphie attempted to rock herself but his crushing grip kept her firmly planted up against the wall. Drool escaped her lips as her face turned a completely unhealthy purple, eyes going wide and stained a scarlet red.

Irvine pulled his face away from her ear and back, taking one final look at her. He smiled faintly and brought his lips to her forehead, softly planting a kiss. "Goodbye my love." With that, he released his left hand quickly and twisted her jaw abruptly with it, snapping her neck at a ferocious rate.

Selphie's legs jerked out violently one final time before her head fell limp, bouncing once about her neck. The taller operative stared at the loose hair in front before letting her drop heavily to the floor.

Surveying the surroundings of the room once more, Irvine left without another glance back, jumping up through the shaft, and proceeding back where he had come from.

* * *

The briefing hall was a relatively large auditorium similar to a lecture hall, used to train cadet military personnel in mass. It was an exercise station the size of a full basketball court, spanning nearly sixty feet high. The walls were bare, lacking any lavish decoration as their dull grey colors emanated forth.

Irvine crawled out of a hatch by the wall and shuffled along the wall before positioning himself in a crouch. Scanning his surroundings, Irvine surveyed the area for any security cameras at the moment. He glanced far up ahead towards the center pillar overlooking the rows and rows of chairs.

There, directly up on it, sat a middle aged man with lengthy hair, drenched in a stream of crimson blood. His breathing was sporadic as his chest rose and fell sharply. To his left, stood Ocelot, unmistakable in all his glory as he gently rubbed the bloodied man's neck in comfort, the corners of his mouth moving in a sick twisted smile as he spoke. Around the two, were several guards who stood their ground, arms securely placed over their assault rifles.

Irvine frowned and after checking to make sure the coast was clear, began to strafe across the far wall and up towards the center.

Upon hearing a series of soft footsteps to his side, Ocelot turned from his current 'subject' as his face fell on an approaching Irvine. He smiled wickedly, producing a top row of aging teeth.

"The great Snare at last. In the flesh." He laughed chillingly in a hoarse manner as Irvine ascended the short step of stairs. The guards all took a more aggressive stance, their eyes firmly planted on the approaching soldier.

Irvine threw the guards a quick glance before his eyes settled on Ocelot, then to the bloodied man tied down to the chair. "Is this him?"

Ocelot's gaze was intense and piercing. "Mr. President Laguna Loire of Esthar himself."

Irvine stared at Ocelot disapprovingly before facing Laguna once more. "What the hell have you done to him Ocelot?"

"We were playing, catching up on old times. He's quite the sport." Ocelot crouched to Laguna's level and cupped his cheeks with one palm, squeezing them forcefully. "Wouldn't you say so… Mr. President?" He spat out through clenched teeth. With that, the older operative stood up to full height once more and struck the bloodied man powerfully with a left fist, eliciting blood to shoot out from his mouth.

"Ocelot, that's enough." Irvine exclaimed, clearly frustrated with Ocelot's tactics himself. "You'll kill him."

The veteran soldier stepped back and motioned towards Laguna with open palms. "Have at him Snare."

Irvine glared momentarily at his superior officer before nodding reluctantly. He stepped forward, towering over the President. "Mr. President?" There was nothing. Not a single reply. "Laguna Loire, can you hear me?" Irvine raised his commanding voice.

Mustering what remaining strength he held, Laguna slowly and painfully brought his head up, messy locks of hair obstructing his view as his vivid but now fatigued eyes met with Irvine's. Despite his weakened state, his resolve was absolute, an unmatched look of confidence forming as his brows furrowed. The crease in his forehead indicated years of strain having taken their toll on his youth. To Irvine, he was far older than he appeared, especially now.

"President Laguna Loire?" Irvine asked again, this time with a certain tranquility.

Laguna's chest rose drastically once before he spoke. "Why don't you just finish it…?" Despite his weakened state, his voice betrayed his current condition as it contained authority and demanded attention and respect.

Irvine knelt down and cocked his head to the side, smiling faintly. "Come on now. We're at least due for some respect aren't we? What do you take us for? Savages? We're all civilized men here, just simply on opposite sides of the coin Mr. President."

Laguna swallowed heavily before spitting out a large quantity of blood to his side. "You don't have to do this. You can stop now."

Irvine shook his head, gazing past him. "No… no we can't. Understand that this is our job. We're sent in with orders. I act for a superior authority figure. None of this is of my own will." His gaze quickly flickered over to Ocelot for a moment before settling on Laguna again. "That's why I hope you don't think less of me for any of this Mr. President. Perhaps in the end, we can both come out understanding? Perhaps even friends? You understand this is just business right?"

Laguna glared disgustedly at Irvine, unsure of what to make of him now. Was he genuinely a sinister and sick individual, or was he clinically psychotic and deranged, unaware of the consequences of his actions? He would have preferred to go with the latter but Irvine's eerily calm demeanor and stable attitude made him believe otherwise. This was a sick individual he was dealing with. All of them were. He was stripped bare, left alone in the wilderness, away from his haven. His usual sanctuary.

"You're deranged." He spat at Irvine.

The younger man was quiet for a moment before speaking. "Mr. President, I- sorry… we, need those launch codes right about now sir. It would be very helpful to us and we'd all be grateful if you simply cooperated with us and handed them over. No one gets hurt anymore and we all go home happy. What do you say?" Irvine stopped to give Laguna a long hard, calculating look.

Laguna snorted in slight disbelief, finding every bit of Irvine's speech completely ridiculous to the point of it being amusing. "I say to try harder." The blood on his lips added a certain liveliness to his face as he spoke.

Irvine shook his head in disapproval. "Too bad. What would Ellone think of all of this? What do you think Mr. President?"

At this, Laguna's expression darkened considerably, becoming extremely stern as his narrowed eyes bore into Irvine's. "I think that if you lay a single finger on her, you'll be reg-"

Irvine cut him off with a swing of his hand. "Maybe you should take a look at this then. Judge for yourself." Irvine pulled out a tiny digital video camera with an LCD display, bringing up the small screen inches from Laguna's face. The President's stomach began to twist uncomfortably and tie itself in knots as a sinking feeling began to gradually settle within.

The video began by showing Ellone laying on the floor in a completely vulnerable position, her clothes tattered and her features seeming to have suffered some form of abuse. Laguna's eyes both shot wide open as his jaw quivered. "Ell- Elle?"

"Oh it gets better Mr. President. Sit back and enjoy the show!" Irvine laughed out dryly, throwing a quick look at Ocelot.

The next moment's sent Laguna first into a brief state of shock and panic before landing him a frenzy. His eyes watered as numerous amounts of tears spilled forth as the screen before him displayed Ocelot having his way with his prized daughter and well respected daughter. Her screams traveled forth through the microphone on the camera, and to Laguna's ears.

The President began rocking his chair violently, pulling at the strings holding him in place with all the effort he could muster. He shut his eyes, steering himself away from the video. He couldn't bear to watch anymore as her cries for help continued to reach his ears. He growled out in rage, kicking and thrashing at his bondages.

In that single moment, his entire world came crashing down.

"ELLE!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. "I swear… Ocelot! OCELOT!" He was livid as his eyes shot wide open with a murderous glint in them as they set their sights on the old SARC operative standing off the to side.

Ocelot merely chuckled as Irvine shut off the camera. "Calm down Mr. President. For your sake, I don't believe it's such a wise idea to be exerting yourself in your current state."

Laguna continued to glare venomously at the grey haired man, his breathing extremely sharp and short.

Irvine rubbed his nose with his thumb and studied the President further before reaching into his pocket, taking out a pack of cigarettes. "Smoke?"

Laguna tore his angry eyes off of Ocelot, placing them on Irvine. "If I was free, I'd kill you myself right now." He snarled.

Irvine nodded, completely ignoring the remark. "Well, have one anyways." He pulled a cigarette out and lit it up, bringing it forward towards Laguna.

The older man turned his head to the side, locks of black hair falling in the way. "No." He growled. "Keep away from me you pathetic excuse of an individual."

Irvine pushed the black hair out of the way, exposing the side of Laguna's face, a scowl set as an expression. "I never said you had to smoke it." Without warning, Irvine dug the tip of the hot cigarette straight into the exposed left eye of the President, prompting a powerful, painful scream to erupt from his lips.

Ocelot gazed on in awe, folding his arms across his chest as a subtle smile of approval took shape across his face.

The few guards on watch grimaced at the sight, glancing at one another uneasily. They all eyed Ocelot momentarily, who paid no attention to their obvious discomfort, before glancing back at Irvine and the President.

Laguna shook uncontrollably as his pursed lips did their best to contain the pain from exploding forth once more in the form of yet another ear piercing scream.

Irvine was unfazed by it all as he drew the cigarette back for a moment, his face stoic and completely devoid of emotion. His right hand came up to brush the black locks away from the President's face as he continued combing the older man's hair with his gloved fingers.

"That wasn't so bad now, was it?" Irvine asked calmly, clearly.

Laguna's breathing was short and uneven, his left eye scorched as it remained tightly shut. The older man had to call on all his inner strength to simply hold the immense pain at bay. "N- n- no…" He would not give in to their wants. It was what they wanted: for him to display weakness. He would not allow it. Not for himself. Not for Ellone.

Irvine nodded, smiling faintly. "Excellent," he whispered chillingly, "now the next time I offer you something, perhaps you should accept my kind gesture rather than insult me by declining. Wouldn't you agree?"

With eyes still tightly shut, Laguna remained still, his head hanging low. "You- you're sick…"

"Good. Now Mr. President, I'd like to ask you again. Would you like a cigarette?"

The guards all held their breath in anticipation as Ocelot gazed on with a faint smirk, enjoying the scene before him.

Laguna was quiet for a moment as Irvine waited on, the end of the cigarette held firmly between two fingers, mere inches from the bloodied man's face. "Yes…" He whispered quietly, in a barely audible manner.

Irvine again brushed the obscuring hair out of the way as he brought the cigarette into the older man's mouth, planting it between his lips. He pulled back and observed the beaten man as he held on to the cigarette with cracked lips. Irvine stood up and took a step back, rubbing his gloves.

"You know that they say cigarette's kill. In fact, I hear that they're the leading cause for lung cancer."

Laguna's functional right eye slowly peered up at Irvine with unmatched hatred and contempt brewing within. A moment of tensed silence passed as the two men glared at one another. Throwing Irvine one final venomous stare, Laguna spat the cigarette out of his mouth.

The piece rolled perfectly, stopping just inches in front of Irvine's heavy boots. He gazed down at it indifferently before putting it out with the heel of his boot. He looked back up at Laguna and chuckled in amusement, a rare grin taking form.

"Mr. President, I just admire your tenacity." Without warning, without any form of a signal, Irvine's grin disappeared immediately, replaced by a furious frown as he brought a crushing right fist straight into the left cheekbone of his prisoner.

A sickening crack sounded, followed by a weak startled cry as Laguna flew back along with the chair from the force of the blow, landing on his backside. The chair bounced once and toppled to its side, taking Laguna along with it.

The guards all held their positions, remaining ever quiet, eyes not daring to look at Irvine now. Each soldier's gaze was transfixed on the fallen President, who lay haplessly on the floor, making minimal movements as blood seemingly seeped out everywhere from his body.

Irvine grunted once quietly and strode forward, stepping over the fallen president. With a powerful right arm, he lifted the man, along with the chair, up to an upright position, reseating the President. The older man's head hung limply as his neck no longer seemed capable of holding it up. Irvine shot a quick glance at Ocelot, who returned the grim expression. He turned back and grabbed Laguna's scalp forcefully, bringing his head up so that their faces could meet.

Laguna batted open his active right eye in weak fashion, gazing at Irvine for a good minute as an odd silence took form. The young soldier shattered the temporary tranquility with his next words.

"Don't make this any harder Mr. President. Tell me what the launch codes are." Irvine's tone wasn't as commanding as it should have been, but contained a certain deceptive nature to it at the moment.

Laguna smirked ever so slightly in a satisfied manner. "Come… come closer first…" Irvine did not appear to be amused as he gave Laguna the side of his ear. The Estharian President breathed deeply for a moment before whispering, "How abou- about you go fu- fuck Ocelot and then fuck yourself?"

Irvine nodded once and pulled back, eyeing the older man with a slight look of respect. "I like you sir." His stoic expression exposed a subtle grin. "I like you a lot." He reached into his coat pocket with his right hand. "Which is why I hate to do this."

With mind numbing speed, the next moments were a blur to Laguna as Irvine pulled out a OKC-3S Bayonet, clamped Laguna's jaw with his left hand to immobilize his face and dug the end of the sharp blade directly into the older man's left cornea, through the shut eyelid, carving out the entire eye.

The pain was both so immense and indescribable to Laguna that his body wasn't even sure if it wanted to register it just quite yet. His mind went into a state of shock as his mouth opened in the form of a wide gasp, but never actually emitting any noise. Then, like the inevitable disaster waiting to hit after the peaceful eye of the hurricane, the pain came and it was absolutely excruciating and completely mind numbing, as if being immersed in searing lava. Laguna threw his head back violently and let out scream after painful scream followed by a series of loud, haunting moans of agony.

Irvine smiled and shook his head. "No don't do that. Don't jerk your head around. You'll lose too much blood if you do." He pulled out a handkerchief and directly applied pressure to the empty eye socket, a brilliant crimson immediately staining the previously clean cloth. Irvine turned and quickly tossed the separated eye to Ocelot, who grabbed it and examined it for a moment before tucking it into a shirt pocket. The young operative cradled Laguna's now violently trembling head in one hand as he continued to apply pressure with the cloth.

Laguna's breathing became extremely sporadic and short as his body convulsed violently, his right eye remaining wide open and unblinking. "Hel- hel- he- hel- hel-" He continued to try formulating a sentence but in his current state, proved to be unsuccessful.

"Shh…" Irvine whispered, hushing the president with a whisper. "You need to conserve your energy. You're in a state of shock. Nothing of what you may say at the moment will register and make any sense so pace yourself. I know you're just ecstatic to be talking. Soon my friend. Soon." Irvine sighed for a moment, gazing at Laguna's deformed face softly. "Are you ready sir?"

Laguna's right eye rolled across and became fixated on Irvine. There was fear, along with several other insecure emotions swirling within the dark iris and pupil. He continued to gaze at the man standing in front of him for a moment, afraid of what was to come next.

Irvine smiled once more tenderly before gripping the knife tightly and proceeding to carve out several chunks of flesh all across Laguna's face in intricate patterns and decorations. The President's loud screams eventually died down to a continuation of short cries before settling to long drawn out moans as more and more energy made its way out of his body. Irvine continued working maliciously on the man's face, showing no signs of mercy at any moment.

The rest of the guards watched on uneasily, some wishing to be able to move elsewhere in order to escape the wretched sight before them and throw up. Ocelot remained positioned comfortably, arms still crossed over his chest as he gazed on while the younger soldier before him went to work on the man who had proven to be far more resilient than any of them had anticipated.

It would only be a matter of time before he caved and gave in. It was always only a matter of time no matter who the subject. They all always gave in at some point. It was just a matter of figuring out that breaking point because every single individual had one.

* * *

Irvine stood at the exit door to the large auditorium, eyeing the approaching Ocelot with a slight frown.

The older man stopped several feet short. "I thought you didn't want to hurt him. What happened there?" His voice held a hint of contained amusement. Ocelot found the entire ordeal humorous in his eyes.

"I just didn't want you to have all the fun." Irvine stated plainly with slight irritation.

Ocelot nodded once, staring off to the side for a moment before meeting Irvine's gaze once more. "That was good work Snare. I'm quite impressed by how far you've come. I can see why the General has appointed you as one of his trusted advisors. Let's see how far you can go and how much of a career you can make of this."

Irvine gazed out coldly at the older soldier. "Don't fucking patronize me old man."

Ocelot chuckled quickly. "Well, you still didn't get the codes did you? So, what now then Snare? What do we report to the General?"

"That everything's going according to plan. We'll get the codes. Within the next hour… I guarantee it." As if to emphasize his point, Irvine raised his right fist to his chest and clenched it with all his strength, as if he were holding something, his arm trembling from all the force exerted. "We'll get them… you wait and see Ocelot."

Ocelot turned and began to walk down the walkway towards the stage once more. He called over his shoulder, "For your sake Snare, you better hope so. I don't want to be reporting to the General that one of his most prized students failed at the task at hand."

Irvine watched him disappear further with predatory eyes. "You watch your back old man." He threatened.

Ocelot stopped directly before walkway leading to the main set of stairs to the stage. He turned around, facing the younger man one final time. "Don't worry about me Snare. You just make sure to stay covert in this whole thing and not get discovered, especially by Liquid and his lackeys."

Irvine took one final look at the crippled Laguna lying on the stage as the guards went to work on him, addressing his numerous wounds. He faced Ocelot quickly, sending him a brief mock salute before prying open a hatch to the side and making his way through, onwards with the next phase of his mission.

* * *

**Author's Notes: To whatever few, loyal readers remain, I sincerely apologize for the length of the delay. If any of you care, well here's a new chapter. If you don't, then this won't matter to you at all. Enjoy if you do. If you don't... whatever. If any of you decide to review, cool.**


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